Set Me Free
by wordsaremyescape
Summary: Because in the end, the truth always sets you free.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A Mother's Day oneshot for our favorite highly neglected couple.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee**

The sun is blinding as struggles to greet it with open eyes. She hasn't been unconscious for long. It's only been one or two hours since she last set her gaze on the alarm clock. The weight of the morning, the meaning of today, takes the breath from her lungs. Today shouldn't mean anything to her. If anything, it should mean something to the woman just one floor below her, who she knows has ordered some extravagant breakfast for the occasion. So why is it so hard to sit up? Why is it so hard to swing her legs around and let them touch her carpeted floor?

Mother's Day. At sixteen, this shouldn't mean anything. A girl her age has got at least four years to go before she's joined the universal holiday. All Quinn can do is, stare blankly at her ten foot ceiling. As she mindlessly runs a hand along her abdomen (the place where permanent reminders come in the form of prominent stretch marks) the last year comes in a whirlwind of memories.

Sex and wine coolers, the weight of Puck's body on her own, as he tells her repeatedly that she's not fat. The lies, the laughs, the chill of slushy facials. And then there's Puck himself. The one she pushed away repeatedly. In true form, he pushed back. He pushed back with every bit of hope and encouragement he had to offer. He _should _have won. He put up ten times the battle that she did. Instead, Quinn got exactly what she wanted. Puck backed off because that's exactly what she asked of him. In some weird, twisted way, he's always done what she wanted. Why, she wasn't entirely sure. So, she walked away. She gave her up. She did the right thing. Right?

Without even realizing what she's done, Quinn finds herself dialing a much too familiar number. Not because she's called it so much but because his name would show up at least three times a day the year before. Sometimes to check in, other times he'd just text and say goodnight. She'd never tell him how happy that makes her. To know that someone cares. Because that would mean he's winning. Most of the time though, he'd call to continue their on-going arguments. They did that a lot. Argue. Nothing ever runs smoothly for them. Even when the topic ends up in safe territory. She knows this won't end well, but she's doing it anyway. Even if they aren't exactly civil, there's one thing they can agree on. There's always one thing that only he could understand.

"Fabray," he mumbles. His lazy greeting (probably due to the fact that she's woken him up) sends subtle warmth to her cheeks.

"Hey Puck," she whispers. "I'm sorry I woke you…Just call me back later," she says.

"'s cool. I'm up now," he says, forcing himself to sound more awake than he actually is. He's not an idiot. He knows what today is. It might help that his own mom's been dropping hints all week. It's an understanding that they aren't supposed to talk. He's just supposed to leave her alone now. They have absolutely nothing in common anymore. Except for _her_. "What's up?" he grumbles.

"I…I can't move," she whispers. Puck raises his brow on his end, completely lost.

"What do ya mean?"

"I'm just kind of stuck…. Mom's usual breakfast just makes me sick. I…I can't go down there…" she finishes, a catch in her throat. "I can't look at her and not see _her_."

"How long?" he asks.

"Two hours," she says with a small smile. She knows he's asking how much she's been able to sleep. They've done this enough. Most nights he woke him up with nightmares and guilt. Today's no different.

"I got like three," he offers. He can't help the hint of guilt that washes over him when he realizes he managed an extra hour. He really doesn't know how. Maybe it's the fact that, over time he's learned to push it back. He's learned not to let it be the only thing he thinks about. He's learned to distract himself.

"Today's not supposed to mean anything…"

"It's always gonna mean something," he whispers. "Today, Father's Day, her birthday, the holidays. No matter how much we don't want them to, they're always going to mean something," he says, more awake now. Now that he's talking about it, Puck knows what she means. It's like he's kind of frozen, scared stiff.

"But I'm not…I'm not her…"

"Yeah you are," he says softly. Whether she's yours or not."

"Puck, I gave her up," she reminds him.

"Just because you gave her up doesn't mean you stop caring. Just because we gave her to Shelby, doesn't mean we don't love her, doesn't mean you're not a mom."

"That's just it. I shouldn't. She's not mine anymore."

"She is. Somehow, she'll always be yours."

"Ours," she corrected. Puck smiles, somewhat surprised that Quinn's identifying both of them now. She's only done that one other time. "I just feel like I…Like I let her down or something. She's going to grow up thinking we don't care, that her parents didn't want her."

"Quinn, you gave her up _because _you love her. Being a mom means making some of the hardest decisions. You've done that. And when she's older, when she wants to know who we are, we'll tell her why. We'll tell her that we loved her enough to give her to someone that could give her everything we couldn't."

"I…I...It's hard to breathe. This guilt, it's just too much."

"Nice big breath. It's gonna be okay."

"No, Puck. No it's not going to be okay. I'm afraid to leave my room…I've been seeing her everywhere for the last week…" He hears a change of tone and feels a piece of himself fall away. She's crying. It's quiet but he knows she's crying. Just like everything else that's happened to Quinn in the last year, this is his fault.

"Argh, please don't cry," he sighed. "I'm really bad with crying." She stops for a minute, not even aware of the moisture on her cheeks until he's pointed it out. "You know what? I'll be over in five. You're gonna have to get outta your room at some point. Get dressed, we're going out."

"We…we are?" she asks, completely caught off guard.

"Yes, we are. You got five minutes, Fabray. Oh and, if you can, wear somethin' blue," he smirks.

"Why blue?" she asks curiously.

"Just do it," he says impatiently.

"Fine, whatever, I'll find something blue."

"Good. I'll see you soon." His last phrase is met with the dial tone. They never actually said goodbye anymore. They never even really said hello. It was a silent agreement that they just launch into whatever it is they chose to talk about.

From somewhere, Quinn's found the energy to make it to her closet. She frowns when she realizes that despite Puck's one request; blue is nowhere to be found. Giving up, she settles for pink blouse instead. _He'll just have to deal with it_. Somehow, the blouse has made it to the very depths of her walk in closet, hidden in a stack of carelessly thrown clothes. As she ruffles through, she finds a single blue dress. It's hidden behind a stack of her rotated wardrobe. _How does he always get what he wants?_ Not really caring, she throws it on, pulling her hair back.

XXXXXXXX

Fifteen minutes have passed and he still hasn't shown. She rolls her eyes. Typical Puck. He's never on time for anything. She drums her fingers impatiently, watching out the window for his truck to pull in. Eventually, when she's decided to try and take a small nap, (not that lack of sleep gives her much choice) the roar of the engine startles her. _Finally_. Before he can ring the doorbell, she swings the door open, a solid line of frustration on her face.

"Morning," he mumbles. She offers him a small smile, taking in a face that's much like her own. Signs of sleep deprivation are more than evident. He's got a hand behind his back and she can't help but raise a curious brow. "I couldn't find lilies so you're gonna have to settle for sunflowers," he says apologetically.

"How do you…? I never told you…"

"I've got my sources," he smirked.

"Thank you," she smiles. He can tell that it doesn't reach her eyes. He just nods. "So, where are you dragging me off to?" she asks, quickly filling a vase with fresh water.

"Gee, you make it sound like I'm kidnapping you or something," he laughed.

"Well, you really didn't give me room to say no," she pointed out.

"But you agreed," he countered.

"True. So, where are you _taking _me then?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," he smirked. Quinn just rolls her eyes.

"You're making this sound like some kind of date," she laughed.

"Not a date. It's more of a…me bailing you out type of thing." _Of course he has to make some kind of jail reference_.

"Just tell me where we're going," she sighed impatiently.

"Nope."

"Stubborn," she mumbled.

"Takes one to know one." She offers a small smile, letting him lead her to his truck. Quinn's a little surprised that he's actually opened the door for her.

"Thank you," she whispers. He pulls around to the driver's side, turning on the radio. She sighs when she takes in his less than tidy floors. While he's not looking, she picks up a discarded bag and throws it in a small trash bag. Before she does, she notices the logo of a small bakery down the street. Without thinking, she finds her hand has wandered to her stomach. "Why do you always have to be such a pack rat?" she sighs.

"I stopped for breakfast this morning. I knew you'd be pissed if I was late so I ate and drove."

"You were still late," she reminds him.

"Blame the florist chick," he mumbled. She notices him unwrapping a Hershey's bar with one hand and takes it from him. "Hey!"

"Eyes on the road." Quinn peels back the wrapping, taking a fairly big piece for herself before giving it back to him.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted some when I opened it. You didn't have to like…steal it."

"It's only stealing when the person who owns it isn't looking," she clarified. "Not to mention that I got less sleep than you. If anything, this chocolate bar should be mine."

"Sharing is caring," he mumbled.

"Says the one who failed Kindergarten," she laughed. "I don't even know how someone's able to do that."

"I told you. I hated nap time."

"So you played drums instead."

"A kid has to keep himself entertained and all they had were pots and pans."

"You're impossible," she mumbled. Puck just smirks, opening the arm rest.

"There's a bag of chocolate in there for you, you know. You didn't have to take mine." She turns to see him offering her a bag of Hershey's kisses. She smiles. Another favorite. She's beginning to wonder how exactly he knows all of this. Given her inability to keep her eyes open, she takes them without questions. Instead, she just smiles. _That's three now_ she thinks. "I say you gotta gimme at least three," he says, an open palm ready to accept what's his.

"No."

"An eye for an eye, Fabray. You take mine, I take yours."

"Not happening."

"Bitch."

"Mutt."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Yes it does."

"Just eat your damn chocolate," he mumbled.

"Gladly," she smirks. As she pops another one into her mouth, she flips through his iPod. She isn't surprised to see that ninety percent of it is Rock. As she scrolls, she miraculously finds the only Alternative he seems to have. Surprisingly, it's a song she actually likes. "You listen to _Parachute_?"

"Just the one song," he says. She smiles, settling for the one track, laying her head back.

_Should've kissed you there_

_I should've held your face_

_I should've watched those eyes_

_Instead of run in place_

_I should've called you out_

_I should've said your name_

_I should've turned around_

_I should've looked again_

Quinn blinks several times, taking in Puck's rugged features as he's staring straight ahead. She can't help noticing how the sun plays on his face, revealing his defined jaw. It reminds her how sold, how determined Puck himself is.

_I should've spoken up_

_I should've proudly claimed_

_That oh my head's to blame_

_For all my hearts mistakes_

Her hand shoots out to turn it off before the song can get any further. She knows what's coming next. She knows what it means. She knows who it's for.

"I wasn't lying," he whispered. "I meant what I said."

"I know," she says softly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I never gave you the chance you deserved. I'm sorry I ever called you a loser."

"'s'alright," she shrugged. "I kind of am," he admits.

"No, you're not. I was just too stubborn, too scared to see it."

"I'm confused."

"We both know how much alcohol we had that night."

"Barely anything. Those things are like juice."

"So, in a way, we were perfectly sober," she whispered.

"Yup. I told you the day she was born, too."

"I…"

"I know you don't feel the same way. I'm just bein' honest with you," he said quietly. Quinn honestly had no idea what she felt. She sighed, finally letting the lyrics fade as she watched life pass by through her window. She blinked, now completely lost. She'd never been in this part of town before.

"Puck, I think we're lost."

"Not lost," he said.

"Where are we going? I've never been this far out before."

"Still not telling. You'll just have to wait and see."

"I hate you," she growled.

"I know," he smirked. After a few minutes, they finally pull into an unfamiliar neighborhood. For some reason, Quinn can't breathe again. Her heart's racing much faster than it should. There's only one reason they'd be….

"Puck….What are you doing?" He just continues driving, quietly pulling into a steep driveway.

"Come on," he says when he's finally pulled around to her side of the truck.

"We're trespassing!" she hissed. "Now you're really going to have to bail me out of jail!"

"Just calm the hell down, Quinn. Get outta the car or I'm gonna be forced to carry you out." She groans, slowly stepping down.

"Whose house is this? Why are we here? How many illegal things are we doing at one time?"

"Quinn, shut up and keep walking."

"Well I'm sorry if I don't wanna get arrested!"

"You're not gonna get arrested," he laughed. "Just trust me." She sighs, knowing where that line got them once before. She gulps as he leads her up the walk way.

"Puck, take me home!" she practically shouts. They're close enough that she knows whose house they've come to. "Noah Puckerman, take me home!" He ignores her, almost ready to carry her the rest of the way. Both because she's getting extremely annoying and she can't seem to move anymore. He rings the doorbell, stepping back. Why…?" Doesn't he know that this hurts too much already? Being here just makes it worse, not better. Puck quietly opens the unlocked door, taking Quinn with him as he steps inside. "You're just gonna walk inside?" she hissed. "This isn't even your house!" He just shrugs, guiding her into the foyer.

"Quinn, do a guy a favor and shut your freakin' trap. I warned her ahead of time. She knows it's us."

"Oh….Well, it's still rude to just walk into somebody else's house." Puck had warned Shelby. For some reason, that makes her even angrier. It makes her feel like she and Puck have these secrets, little things they do, that she hasn't been a part of. That she's not allowed to be involved in.

"In the kitchen," Shelby calls. Puck releases the hold he's had on her waist. As subtle as it is, she can't help missing it, now that it's gone. After several steps, Puck turns to face her.

"You coming?" he asked. Taking a deep breathe, she forces herself forward. "Just breathe," he whispered. She nods, trying to do as he's suggested. Timidly, she makes her way into the kitchen. Almost immediately, there are hints of her everywhere. Forgotten bottles, a highchair, plastic spoons sitting on the counter.

The weight is back, twice as heavy now. As hard as she tries, the tears just won't stop. It's just a kitchen. It's no different than any other home. Except for the fact, that it is. Blinking furiously, she finds a chair and throws the weight of her body into it.

"I'm sorry the kitchen's such a mess. I've been running around trying to get some kind of organization going and it really just never seems to stay that way." Puck just shrugs, taking an open seat next to Quinn. Taking her shaking hand, he offers her a squeeze, a quick glance to make sure she's okay. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the question in his eyes. All she can do is shake her head, not exactly sure if she is or isn't okay. "How have you been, Puck?" Shelby asks, pulling out three glasses and filling them with water. Quinn can't help throwing him a glance. They're talking like he's been here before. She made a quick note to ask about that on their way home.

"I've been…good," he says, taking an obvious pause.

"That's good. I hope school's going alright for the two of you," she smiles. Noticing that she's made the question plural, Quinn wonders if that's a cue for her to finally open her mouth and say something.

"Same as always," she shrugs. _Except, it's not_. If it's made her sound rude, Shelby shows no sign of being offended. The conversation between the three of them is obviously forced. It's not hard to notice how awkwardly everything has been said and asked.

"She's up in the nursery if you'd like to go see her," she offers.

"Thanks," Puck says, already getting up from his place at the table. Quinn glances between the two of them, not exactly sure what's going on. Okay, she knows what's going on, the whole thing just seems so….easy. She'd expect Shelby to be defensive, forcefully accepting that they've come to see Beth. She almost seems….okay with why they're here. Quinn can't help wondering why that is. Hesitantly, she follows him out, taking careful steps, like she's now on forbidden territory. Which, she has to admit, she kind of is. She shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be intruding on a day that's meant for Shelby. Beth's _real _mother. She can't help but envy Puck. He doesn't have to compete with anyone. Beth's only ever going to have one father. Whether he's raising her or not, that's always going to be his place. Quinn gave that up. Now, she's here, acting like she should be allowed to take it back. She's not. She's not allowed to erase the choices she's made.

As they make it to her nursery (the one room with a carefully sculpted _Beth _carving on the door), nerves completely consume her. What is she even doing here? Beth has no idea who she is. She has no idea that the woman downstairs isn't her actual mother. Yet, that's all she does know. That's all she's ever going to know. The truth of that statement hits Quinn like a solid brick. She can't help feeling deprived. Deprived. The one feeling, along with so many others, that she's not allowed to feel. She chose this. She's going to have to live with it. Yet the idea of her daughter calling someone else her mama. That hasn't settled. That's not okay yet. But again, it's a consequence of her ultimate decision.

Puck quietly opens the door, stepping inside. Quinn follows close behind, letting the tears build again as she takes in the smiling little girl keeping herself entertained. Finally alerted to company, she looks up at them. A set of eyes, identical to Quinn's looking right at them, a wide smile on her face.

"Hey you," Puck smiles as they both watch her crawl over to him. "How's my girl?" A raging fire fills Quinn's chest. The envy is back worse than before. _She knows him_.

"How does she recognize you?" she asks, jealously more than obvious in her question.

"I come and see her every couple weeks," he says, letting Beth play with his fingers.

"You're here every couple of weeks and never even bothered to tell me?" she glares.

"Quinn, it's not like that," he sighs.

"Enlighten me," she bites back. "Tell me why our daughter knows you and has no idea who I am."

"You were the one who said we shouldn't talk anymore. You were the one who said you wanted to be left alone. I know how sore a subject this is for you. I knew that bringing it up would get you mad. So I just…didn't."

"So very kind of you," she growls.

"Hey, I was only doing what you told me to do. I left you alone. Leaving you alone means conversations are slim to none."

"You could have at least let me know," she whispered.

"Kinda hard to do when you don't even look at me," he pointed out. Quinn sighs, not wanting to argue.

"I'm sorry, okay. I know I haven't exactly been the easiest person to deal with."

"Are you ever?" he smirked.

"I really don't want to start a pointless argument, Puck. Not today," she whispers. She looks up to see that he's not even paying attention to her anymore. The two of them are sharing a secret that she can't even make out. She just rolls her eyes, until finally, she notices Beth slowly making her way over to her. When she settles in front of her, curious eyes wandering her face, Quinn has no idea what she's supposed to do. Beth's just…staring at her. "Hi," Quinn whispers, a small smile on her face. Beth small hand traces her palm and Quinn can feel tears once again gathering in her eyes. The action is so simple, so innocent.

Beth's small hands come up to trace her face now, stopping for a second at the gathering moisture. Her small lips begin a tremor as her own eyes well with tears.

"Crap, now I've made her cry," she sighs. Instinct takes over as she takes the baby into her lap, running her hand quietly through her hair. She smiles, finally able to notice that it's all Puck. Puck can't help noticing the interaction. Quinn seems so natural. "Shh,"she whispers.

"She tends to be really empathetic," he offers.

"Oh my gosh. You actually know what that means?" she gasped.

"Quinn, I'm not a moron."

"Could've fooled me," she laughed. "How often do you see her?" she whispered.

"I come by after games and stuff. We never win so therefore, we never celebrate. Gives me an excuse to see her."

"Shelby doesn't mind?"

"Well, we're not exactly best friends or anything but she's kinda come to accept it."

"You're lucky," she whispered. "You have the guts to come in and be a part of her life. I….I don't know if I can…"

"All you have to do is ask," he says.

"I don't think you get it, Puck. You don't have to compete with anyone. You're always going to be the only father in her life. Over time, she's going to look at you as exactly that. If I step in I'm just going to confuse her." Puck just smirked as he pulled out his wallet. Raising her brow in curiosity, Quinn watches him put it on the floor next to Beth. Small fingers dance across the image in wander. It's a candid of her, in a light blue blouse, much like the dress she's wearing now.

"How did you…How did you get that picture?" Much like he's been doing the entire day, he ignores her question, now focusing his attention on Beth.

"Beth, who's this?" he whispers. Wide eyes turn to Puck and back to Quinn several times, the little girl's brow knit in concentration. "Beth, who's that in the picture?" The little girl turns to her father in honest concentration. Her mouth opens and closes several times before she makes a first attempt.

"A…Am." Quinn can feel her tears spilling over again as she watches Beth's struggle.

"Almost," he says quietly. Little fingers trace the face in the picture before coming up to the one in front of her. "You got it," he whispered. Quinn watches as he mutely mouths the word to her and resists the urge to cry openly now. "Who's she?"

"Ma…" It's quiet and almost inaudible but she's heard it. "Ma…" she says again. By now any composure she's kept is gone. The tears are flowing openly; Beth's small hand coming to gently absorb what her tiny hand can of the tears.

"How…?" she asks, incapable of uttering anything else.

"We've worked with this picture for the last few months," he says. "Took her a while but a couple of weeks or so ago, she started identifying you."

"Shelby's gonna kill you," she whispered. Puck just shrugged.

"I'm still breathing, aren't I?" he smirked.

"As sweet as this is, you know it's only gonna confuse her more, right?"

"Don't know. I think she puts to syllables on Shelby's name. She might mix and match them every now and again but after a while, I think she'll start identifying more clearly."

"When do you find time to do this?" she smiled.

"I don't party too much anymore. Friday nights mostly."

"What's she gonna do to you when she finally catches you?"

"There's not much she can do. It's the truth. She says she wants to be as honest as she can with Beth. So she doesn't repeat the sh—stuff that went down with Berry. If it happens, it happens.

"But it's not fair," she sighed.

"It's as fair as we want it to be," he says.

"Shelby's her mom, Puck. In every way that counts, Shelby's her mama. It might take a while but I'm getting used to it. This is sweet, Noah but honestly, it's not fair. You have to earn labels like that. You have to live up to them.

"Do you want to be as big a part of her life as you can?"

"I don't know….It might end up hurting too much. To know that she's worked so hard, and to want to take that away from her? It isn't right."

"Up to you," he said. "You either find a way to be a part of her life or you let the guilt eat away at you."

"Now you're making me look like the bad guy," she sighed.

"I'm trying to help you, Quinn. Tell me honestly. How do you feel right now?"

"Free? Liberated? Like that weight has been taken off my chest? I don't know."

"How often have you let yourself smile in the last ten minutes?"

"Once, twice?"

"I think I counted four," he smirked. "Four of 'em and they all reached your eyes."

"That doesn't mean anything," she countered.

"Yeah, it does. Just being around her makes you feel better. I haven't seen you this happy since she was born. I've seen you angry, I've seen you upset, I've seen you down-right pissed at people. I've never seen you really happy."

"I think about it every day," she whispered.

"I know. I see it your face. I do it too."

"Puck, we have to learn to accept things the way they are."

"Doesn't mean we can't find some kind loophole. Come with me next time. See how you feel after and see if it's anything like how you feel right now."

"I don't know…"

"You don't know until you try," he pointed out. "Hey Beth." She turns her head quickly, focusing her attention on Puck. She smiles widely, crawling over to him and promptly settling herself in his lap. Her head settles on his chest, small hands grazing the stubble that's started to grow on his face. She laughs, running her hands along the prickly texture again. "I guess that tickles, huh?" he smiles. "Just like….this," he says letting his fingers dance across her chest. Her response is an open laugh that echoes through the room. As it carries on for the three minutes in which she's being "tortured", Quinn notices just how infectious it actually is. Without reason, she too is laughing. It takes her a minute to realize just how foreign a feeling it is. She hasn't let herself laugh like this in almost a year. It feels good.

"You're good with her," she observes.

"Thanks," he smiles. "I love you, Beth," he whispers. Quinn smiles, knowing he probably didn't intend for her to hear that. She watches Beth set her hand on his chest and just lets it sit there. It's nowhere near where it's supposed to be but the symbolism is enough. _She's not the only one who does _she thought. Admitting it to herself is scary enough. She doesn't even know if it's true. For now, she'll let the idea roll around in her head. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not. She knows now that ruling out the idea entirely isn't an option anymore. They've shared too much for her to do that to him. "Hey, who's that over there?" She knows now that he's only doing it to please her. Or maybe he's not. Either way, the smile on her face is still as wide as the first time.

"Ma…"

"Atta girl," he grins.

"So _that's _why you made me wear blue," she laughed.

"That and the fact that I really, really like it on you. Makes you look hot," he smirked.

"Thank you," she smiles.

"No need to thank me for telling the truth," he shrugged.

"Not just for the compliment. I mean all of this. The flowers, the chocolate, Beth. You really didn't have to."

"Wanted to," he said.

"Thank you, Noah," she repeats offering him a flighty kiss on the cheek. He's a little shocked at what she's just done. She knows it by the way he's stiffened up a little.

"Welcome," he mumbles. He turns to her, selfishly wanting more than what she's given him. But that's just who is. He always wants more than what he can handle for one reason and one reason only. He's Noah Puckerman. He can pull whatever he wants from a girl without even trying. He's learned that Quinn's different. She gives people what she wants and nothing more than that. He's going to have to settle for what he's gotten and be grateful for it. Silently, he's hoping there's more to come but for now, he'll take what he can get. "Happy Mother's Day," he smiled.

**A/N: Comments are always welcome :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee…**

Puck's final phrase hangs in the air for a minute before Quinn lets herself nod. She can deny it all she wants, but the truth is sitting in that very room. She glances over to see Beth staring at her, her fist in her mouth. Yes. The truth is looking her right in the face. Whether she admits it out loud or not, this holiday means something. Not just because she remembers the pain but because ever since, there's been a void. A space that only the little girl, laying her head comfortably against her father's chest, can fill. Quinn offers a small smile, reaching over to take Beth's fist from her mouth. Her reply is a solid pout that makes Quinn chuckle.

"Just like her old man," Puck mumbles. "Doesn't like to be told she can't have something," he smirks. She gently shoves him with a roll of her eyes. Quinn just sighs when she sees that, only moments later, her fist is in its rightful place. "She's done that twice now. Shelby says it means she's hungry." He notices her visibly stiffen and offers her hand a gentle squeeze. Her reply is a reluctant sigh as she puts a larger distance between them.

"I guess we should head back down then," she whispers. As much as she knows they have to, she really doesn't want to go. Once there, reality will hit her harder than when she came. That's where Shelby is, filling the space that she chose to give up. That's where she's eventually going to have to leave Beth. That's where the truth will hit her like a thousand knives. The fact is that this isn't her life, this isn't her daughter. Sure, she's given her life and a string of DNA but that's really all Quinn has done. Puck nods helping her to her feet. He hasn't missed the shadow in her gaze. A quiet whimper sends Puck's hand gently along her back as her head settles in the crook of his neck.

Once they've made it back to the kitchen, Shelby looks up with a sigh. She's already got a plastic bowl sitting on her tray and silently asks Puck to set her there. He sighs, preparing himself for the struggle she's so famous for. Like him, she hates being trapped. As he lowers her, she's already started resisting. Once he's let her go completely Beth whimpers in protest. Shelby smiles widely offering her a spoonful of food.

"Well, it looks like someone's hungry," she says softly. Puck restrains the urge to roll his eyes at the woman. He wants to remind her that Quinn is standing right next to him but just lets his lips form a solid line, his arm coming to rest on her lower back. He notices her close her eyes for a minute and realizes that her weight has shifted. He's careful to keep her steady as they make their way back to the table. As he sits, Quinn finds herself landing in his lap. Right now, where she is and who it is doesn't matter. All she knows is that she's not willing to move. If she moves, she runs. If she steps away, she'll find her way to the front door and down the street, before she can second guess her actions.

Shelby has turned to face them now keeping a pace with Beth's breakfast. Turning to face them, she raises a curious brow. She frowns when she sees that Beth's aimed her gaze directly at Puck while she eats. Quinn notices this as well and can't help the smirk that crosses her lips. Puck uses her long blond hair to muffle a chuckle and hide a satisfied smirk of his own. When he's pulled himself out, he notices Beth reaching to close the distance between them. He turns the two of them around to face her as he offers Beth his hand to take hold of. Both he and Quinn can't help a short laugh when they realize which finger she's grabbed. Shelby's face flutters a look of disappointment before letting a short-lived chuckle escape.

"The finger?" Quinn whispers so only Puck can hear.

"Don't look at me, I didn't teach her that."

"It's just coincidence," Shelby says quickly. To himself, Puck likes to think otherwise and just lets a smug look be directed at the kitchen floor.

"It's her inner badass," he whispered. She shoves him gently but smiles just the same. Puck looked up at the sound of a muffled grunt to see Beth's pleading eyes. She's rejected her next bit of food as she pushes forward in her chair.

"C'mon Beth," Shelby pleads, again presenting her with a small portion of mixed veggies. Her only response is a whimper as she turns her face away. After two more tries with little success, she huffs in frustration following the little girl's line of vision. The fact that she's got a death grip on Puck's finger is hard to miss.

"Maybe she just doesn't like the chair," Puck offers.

"She never does," she laughs. He gives Quinn a gentle nudge and walks over, removing the tray and lets her settle in his lap again. She sighs happily clinging to the hem of his shirt.

"I bet you feel better now that you're free," he whispers. She only laughs. The breeze of his breath probably tickles. "Open nice and big for Mommy, okay?" Shelby throws him a grateful glance as Beth now willingly accepts. Out of the corner of his eye, Puck can see Quinn go stiff for a second as he talks softly to her. Shelby's too enthralled in Beth to notice Puck throw her an apologetic look. Quinn just shrugs, not wanting to make a big deal of what she sees. Deep down though, she can't help but envy the woman with a plastic bowl in her hands. With Beth sitting happily on Puck's lap, she can't help feeling like a third wheel.

"Would you mind if I use your bathroom real quick?" Quinn asks, cutting Shelby's conversation with Beth off mid-sentence. Finally looking up at her, she nods.

"Down the hall and to your right," she supplied. Before she can get another look from Puck, Quinn makes her escape. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she leans against it for a minute, blinking several times. For a minute she wonders why she's even here. It's clear that Shelby doesn't want her around. It's been an hour and the two have barely said three words to each other. She knows that she's intruding but really, if she wants to point fingers anyone it should be Puck. He's the one who brought her. Puck's the one who put a glitch in Shelby's first real Mother's Day. All the same, it hurts to watch. It kind of irks her to see how accepting (albeit not all too happily) she is of his being there. Her little girl knows them. It stabs her to admit that she really has no claim to Beth. She's just visiting for the first time (she was really not planning to visit at all) so of course she's not going to get a reaction out of her. In the silence of the bathroom she hears them laughing. The sound pulls at her heart more painfully than she'd ever say out loud.

Quietly letting herself back into the hall, she finds herself gravitating toward the front door. If she leaves now, if she's quiet enough, they won't even notice she's gone. She knows Puck will corner her about it later but right now, getting out is her best option. She can't go back in there. If she does, she's only going to blend in and go unnoticed. She'll be forced to watch while they paint the picture of a perfect little family. Quietly, Quinn pulls on the front door, cringing as it squeaks. The shuffle of chairs sends her eyes darting back and forth.

"Quinn?" she hears him call out to her. _Shit_. Slowly, she returns to the kitchen, palm outstretched for the keys to his truck. Pulling them out, he eyes her suspiciously, keeping the collection of keys firmly in his palm.

"I left my chocolate in the truck," she said. "I'm this close to falling asleep," she sighed. He nods, giving her a solid look before relinquishing them. The minute she has them, Quinn finds herself making it to the door in leaps and bounds. Once inside, she just sits there, hands on the wheel, her precious chocolate sitting in her lap as she eats them slowly. If she just stuck them in the ignition, she could be off before Puck had a chance to catch up with her. It's not like he would miss his truck right away. From the way she'd seen him with Beth she knew he'd be there for a while. Quite possibly until dark, at which point the heat would die down and he can walk to her place to get his truck back. For a minute, she considers if maybe that's a little cruel, considering all that he's already done for her today. But soon she just shakes her head. It's the perfect punishment for what he's forced her to be a part of.

"But then I'll be forced to listen to him yell at me for hours tonight," she sighed. The last thing she needed was to be up for hours on end during another one of their arguments. Noticing that the bag is still half full, she smiles, quickly deciding that she will stay, but it sure as hell isn't going to sit there quietly anymore.

Slipping back inside, she takes the seat next to Puck. He can't help noticing the change in her energy and smiles. He throws her a curious glance as his eyes fall on the half eaten bag. He nods, glad to see that she's got something to lift her spirits a little. Puck lets his hand slip discreetly into view showing her his open palm. Sighing, Quinn rolls her eyes dropping a few into his hand after unwrapping them. He's still got a firm hold on Beth, who probably has no intention of moving. As he pops them into his mouth, he growls quietly when he notices that some of it has melted into his palm.

"See that, Quinn? I'm just that hot," he whispered. Quinn lets out a frustrated sigh, careful to keep the rest of the bag out of his reach. She lets out a subtle growl at the sight of his familiar pout. "You agree with me then?" he whispered.

"I never said that," she shot back.

"And how do you suspect our baby girl got here then?" he asks nodding at the little girl who's got her head lying comfortably against his chest.

"The stork." she said simply.

"Bullshit," he mumbled. Puck redirects his attention at Beth who's got a persistent beat going as a way of demanding his attention. "What?" Beth lets a small finger graze the chocolate that lathers his palm. She studies it for a minute before tentatively bringing it to her mouth. Before she can get a taste Shelby's hand quickly pulls it away.

"No baby. You can't eat that," she snapped. Being denied the mysterious treat, Beth's eyes have begun to well with tears. Puck eyes her questioningly, trying his hardest to keep the coat of anger from his gaze. Shelby stands taking Beth to her silently. Again the little girl has put up resistance, wanting nothing to do with her. Being taken from Puck has only made he even more upset, her deep wails echoing through the kitchen. Quinn tries not to cringe at the extreme volume, glaring daggers at her as she tries (with little success) to quiet the crying child.

"What the hell?" Puck mutters. The sound of his daughter's cries, no thanks to her adoptive mother, cut Puck deeper than he'd ever felt before. It's like someone has taken a rock and pelted it at him before he can defend himself. He rises angrily following Shelby's figure as she paces the kitchen with a red-faced Beth on her shoulder. The fact that he's throwing him a set of pleading eyes while reaching for him just makes him feel even worse.

"I know baby but you're too little," she whispers. Both Quinn and Puck roll their eyes at her ridiculousness, trying their hardest to be unnerved by their daughter's helpless expression.

"I'm sure a little bit of chocolate wouldn't have hurt her," Quinn voices over her daughter's consistent protests. Shelby spins to glare at her, her mouth forming a grim line.

"She's one year old, Quinn. She shouldn't be introduced to sugar for at least another year."

"That's a load of crap," Puck mutters. "Ma gave me little tastes here and there before my first birthday."

"Excuse me?"

"Shelby, it's not even that much," he says carefully. "A little taste wouldn't have killed her."

"And how do you know?" she shot back. "For all you know she could be lactose intolerant. She could get rushed to the hospital over your carelessness. Why do you think I fed her formula for the first year? I didn't want to risk it!"

"Oh I don't know, maybe because you're not her mother?" Quinn finally says, drawing enough strength to finally speak.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. You aren't her biological mother so logically you're going to give her formula. You have no other choice." The three seconds of pain that fly across the woman's face don't have Quinn feeling an ounce of sorry.

"Yeah, you don't have the tits," Puck clarified. She glares at him out of the corner of her eye but says nothing. "She hasn't stopped crying since you took her from me and if she's anything like her _mother_, she's not going to stop until she gets what she wants."

"You're not giving her the chocolate, Noah."

"Don't call me Noah," he bites. "And I may or may not give it to her. Depends on how I feel in a few seconds. Gimme my daughter."

"No. She'll be fine in a few minutes. She just doesn't like to be told no."

"You scared her, Shelby. She's not going to calm down anytime soon," Quinn says evenly.

"I'm sorry Quinn but how would you know that? You've been here for no more than a few hours. Please don't go about telling me how to be a parent."

"You have no clue," Puck muttered.

"Say that again?'

"Beth's your first real shot at the parenting thing."

"I vaguely remember giving birth to another little girl about seventeen years ago," she smiled.

"You've barely said two words to Rachel," Quinn laughed. "When you met she was already practically an adult."

"Doesn't mean I didn't try when she was born."

"That ship has sailed," Puck reminded her. "It left the harbor the minute you offered her to two guys who were actually mature enough to be parents."

"Exactly. It's been a few years. I'm more mature now, more experienced. When I had Rachel I was just barely your age, in no position to raise a child. I had school and dreams to fulfill. Which is why, Beth is here with me."

"Just because you're older, doesn't mean you're qualified," Puck laughed.

"Parenthood doesn't require certification, Puck."

"Uh yeah, it kinda does. Those adoption papers we signed a year ago? Yeah, those were signed as a promise to us that if we couldn't take her, then you'd do your very best to provide her with a life that we couldn't."

"And I have!" she bellowed which only made Beth startle and continue to cry. Puck growls quietly to himself, closing the gap between them to take Beth from her. The quick change of hands has surprised her yet again but the gentle rubbing of her back calms her enough to settle her tear-stained cheek against his shoulder.

"You really don't know how to argue with a baby, do you?" Shelby just blinks several times before returning to her solid glare. "You don't raise your voice at or around them. It's common sense."

"He's right," Quinn muttered throwing him a smile.

"Oh and I suppose you know everything when it comes to babies," she scoffed.

"I babysit enough," she said. "She's just a baby, Shelby. She doesn't understand the difference between getting yelled at and just being denied something. It's all in your tone."

"My tone was just fine," Shelby muttered. "Beth just puts up a fight when she can't have what she wants."

"She must get this a lot then," Puck whispered. Quinn offers him a subtle nod in agreement. He sees the bag she's still got a hold of behind her back and quietly takes one. While Shelby's muttering to herself he quietly pops most of it into his mouth, offering Beth the little bit that left. "Here you go, baby girl. Try this," he whispers. He has to go in search of her mouth while her head sits on his shoulder. After a minute she opens her mouth letting herself whimper for a few seconds. With a bit of gentle coaxing she accepts the treat as Puck makes sure that Shelby still isn't looking. He smiles when he notices that Quinn's got her very well distracted.

"…be gentle with her." Puck can't wipe the smile off his face. Not only is it extremely entertaining to watch a toned down catfight (sans claws and violence) but from the pouty expression on Shelby's face, his baby mama's winning.

"Don't tell me how to raise my daughter, Quinn." He sees her go stiff and keeps himself from commenting, his daughter a welcome distraction. Her moistened face is directed at him now, his knuckle brushing the streaming tears.

"If it wasn't for my age and the fact that I was still in school, you wouldn't even know about Beth," she snapped. "So as far as I'm concerned, she's as much my daughter as I want her to be."

"If it was up to me, she'd be ours," Puck supplied. "But it's not. The choice was Quinn's to make and now that she's offered you round two, you best treat it with the respect that it deserves. And that means treating Quinn with a hell of a lot of respect. She didn't have to give this to you and now that she has, you're throwing it in her face."

"I am doing no such thing," she whispered.

"I can tell that you purposefully do and say things just to set her off. Before she left for the truck, you just let her sit there and watch. You didn't even try speaking to her."

"Beth and I are so used to having the place to ourselves that being social really isn't a norm." Puck raised his brow and bit back a harsh laugh. "I'm sorry if I haven't been so engaging lately," she sighed. "This is all so new, so different."

"And what do you think all of this is for her?" Puck asked. "I bring her here to celebrate a day that means so much to her, to help her remember that Beth does exist, that this day isn't just any other day anymore. Even if she isn't ours, today is going to mean something for the rest of her life. The guilt of what she's done is eating her up inside and being here; being with Beth helps her forget that for a little while. So, I'm sorry if we're, _intruding_ on your precious day. I'm sorry that the reality of the situation is too much for you."

"It's not that," she whispered. "It's just…You have no idea what you being here and leaving does to her…"

"Oh I have a very good idea," he said softly, brushing Beth's hair back tenderly. "She won't let go of me for at least an hour but I have no other choice. It kills me, Shelby. It kills me to know that I have to walk in and out and let you fill in the blanks. It kills me to know I can't be a father to my own baby."

"You are her father, Puck," Quinn offers supportively. "You're her daddy. I'm the one who's intruding."

"Maybe this would all be easier if you just stopped visiting all together," she suggested.

"No way in hell," he muttered. "I read somewhere that we have up to a year to change our minds. Her birthday's not for a couple of weeks…"

"No," Shelby said with finality.

"This isn't your call," Quinn said evenly. "You're giving us a lot of room to reconsider. You're denying Puck a right he still has. These are papers. They can be torn up and re-signed in our favor if you push us that far."

"You're being here is only confusing her more," she defended.

"She's a year old," Puck said rolling his eyes. "Of course she's going to be confed. Time will teach her that she's got three parents who love her."

"You're just teenagers. You both have so many dreams to fulfill before you have children," she sighed.

"A little late for that, don't you think?" Quinn laughed.

"Well yes, but that's not what I meant."

"I didn't want to do this," Puck reminded her. "I let Quinn decide and in the end, you got her. The least you could do is treat her with the decency she deserves. I mean, after all, she gave you my kid."

"And I thank her for doing so. I know from experience how tough a decision it is to make. You have to consider more than just you. It's the baby as well." Puck sighed impatiently, already at his wit's end.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Quinn asked with a raise of her brow. Shelby lets out an exasperated sigh. Quinn has to fight the laugh that bubbles to her lips at how mature she's being at the moment.

"You honestly don't realize how much your actions affect other people, do you?" Shelby raises a curious glance in Puck's direction and crosses her arms defensively. "Let's look at Rachel for a minute. All she wanted was to know who you were and all you did was spit in her face." Quinn opens her mouth to warn him about language but stops herself when she sees the determined look on his face. "Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to walk up to a complete stranger and introduce yourself as their kid? It scares the shit out of you. You spend your entire life not knowing who the hell they are and then out of nowhere, there they are. That one piece of your life that makes everything make sense. And all you want is for it to mean something, to make something of the situation you're in. All she wanted was to get to know you as a person. You didn't have to step in and be her mother; she's got two fathers who love her just fine."

"I didn't want to confuse her. I've told her this already," Shelby whispered.

"Bull," he muttered.

"Puck!" Quinn hisses. "You just didn't wanna try. You were too happy with the life you had. Rachel would have just been an inconvenience for you. You really should've thought of that before you spread your legs for some pimp." He knows the last part isn't true but the blanch he gets from her is enough to leave him satisfied.

"Noah!" Quinn growls. He sees her stiffen and does nothing to hide the smirk that's come across his face. Seconds later he turns to Quinn, his expression that of a lost puppy when he meets her gaze. He knows he may have taken it just a little too far but at this point, he really doesn't care.

"You have no idea what happened so before you go accusing, shut your damn mouth!" Shelby snapped.

"It really doesn't matter what happened. Whether you were a surrogate or her legit mother doesn't excuse your actions as a human being. I've come in here every single week and seen how you are with Beth. You treat her like she's in some bubble. She can't do this, she can't eat that. For Christ's sake Shelby, she's a kid. She's not even one! You gotta let a kid be a kid for as long as they are or else they're gonna grow up trying to claim a part of themselves that they never got. I like Rachel, don't get me wrong but it's like she's stuck between growing up and trying to get back a lost childhood or something."

"She's a teenager, Puck. She'll grow up."

"Hasn't she already done that? What'd you do, give her dads some guide on the perfect Broadway prodigy? Because honestly that's all she wants in life. To be a star, to live up to your legacy. Tell me, Shelby. Why do you think she pushes so hard to get there? Why do you think that's all she ever thinks about?" The older woman can only stare at him. "She wants that one thing, that one connection that's going to bring her life full circle and shit. If stardom's the only way to do it, then she's going to do it."

"I…"

"Yeah, you didn't know or care."

"I did care, I still do! I sang with her that day."

"What, one song? You think one song's gonna make up for sixteen years of not being there? I mean, I know most of it wasn't up to you but when she came to you wanting to make you more than just a stranger, you brushed her off. I'll be damned if you do the same to my daughter,"

"What? Beth? I would never…?"

"You're doing a pretty good job of proving him right, Shelby," Quinn said carefully.

"Time changes things," she defended.

"Prove it," Puck muttered. "She's in there somewhere," he said setting his phone on the kitchen table. "Find her and call her."

"And why would I do that?"

"What day is it today?"

"Sunday?" she said obviously.

"What kind of Sunday?" he asked slowly. If he didn't know any better, Puck could have sworn he was speaking to a small child as opposed to the adult that stood in front of him. He took a second to see that Beth had now fallen asleep, though how she'd done it with all the yelling, he really isn't sure. He nods to Quinn as well as to a sleeping Beth. Understanding his silent communication, she quietly walks over to stand in front of him. She stands frozen for a minute, not exactly sure if taking her is the greatest idea. "You're fine, she sleeps like I do. I would do it myself but I'm not quite done yet," he whispers.

"I heard that," Shelby grumbled. "And you're not taking her anywhere."

"Watch me," Quinn growled. Careful not to let her stir as she took her from him, Quinn brings her to her shoulder, whispering softly to her as she notices the change of hands. "Shh Beth, you're okay. Go back to sleep, baby," she says calmly, running a hand along her back.

"Da…" she whimpered. It takes Quinn a minute to make sure she's heard correctly. The solid look of disapproval from Shelby tells her she has. She and Puck share a look of surprise before she sees the familiar smirk on his face.

"He's right there, sweetheart," she whispered. He makes sure he's looking directly at her while he drops a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," he whispers, his lips pressed to her forehead.

"Are we ready for our nap now?" Her response is willingly dropping her head back onto Quinn's shoulder at which point she makes a quick exit. Once she's up the stairs and out of earshot, Shelby spins in Puck's direction.

"What the hell?" she shouted. "This is _my _house. I make the rules!"

"And that's my kid," he shot back.

"Not according to the adoption papers. Once those were signed, all legal rights went to me. Me, not you. I can just as easily keep you from Beth all together."

"Do that and I can take her out of your hot little hands in two seconds flat," he growled.

"And what's the judge going to believe? A couple of teenage parents or an actual adult?"

"We've got enough evidence to take her from you right now. Quinn doesn't know _half _of what I've seen in the past year. You tempt me to bring those up and it's bye bye Beth."

"This is ridiculous!"

"What's ridiculous? Your parenting? Yeah, I'd have to agree with you."

"Why are we fighting? We all know that Beth's home is here, with me."

"I wouldn't hold your breath. Wait long enough and you could pass out or something. Call your daughter," he demanded.

"And say what? I honestly have nothing to say to her. I don't even know her."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Well it sure isn't mine. They wanted a surrogate, they got a surrogate."

"Refer back to my first half of this argument. She's trying, Shelby. Even if she has to do it on her own, she's trying. The least you can do is reach out." Rolling her eyes with a heavy sigh, she scrolls down and presses the "send" button angrily.

"Why am I doing this again?"

"It's Mother's Day," he said simply. "Be a mother."

**A/N: There we go! Hit? Miss? Complete fail? Let me know please. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Shelby simply rolled her eyes as she waited impatiently for someone to pick up on the other end of the phone. As the waiting time progressed, she grew more and more frustrated. More than anything she wished and hoped that Rachel wouldn't pick up at all. That would save her what was likely to be the most awkward conversation the two of them would be forced to have. Noticing Puck shuffling away, she shot her hand out and glared.

"What?" he mouthed.

"You're the one making me do this," she hissed. "The least you can do is stay and see what happens." Puck just rolled his eyes, loosening her grip on his bicep and throwing it off, trying to hide his look of disgust.

"She doesn't bite," he mumbled.

"Do you have any idea how awkward this is?" she whispered. He nodded, personally satisfied with how uncomfortable the situation was making her. He hadn't done this to get back at her. He's been doing that all morning already. Puck would never admit it but for some reason, he felt he owed it to Rachel. Not that she had ever done anything for her recently. It was more of a favor in terms of shared experience.

"It's only awkward if you make it awkward," he pointed out.

"What am I even supposed to say?" she asked desperately.

"You might wanna start with something like "Hey Rachel" and go on from there." She just rolled her eyes at how obvious an answer he gave her. "You do this at work all the time. What's the difference?" She throws him another glare for good measure when she hears shuffling on the other end.

"Noah," he hears her answer questioningly. Not that Shelby's offered him the phone. The brunette's voice just seems to carry. The volume of which, makes him cringe a little. Shelby throws him a questioning look at how she's greeted who she thinks is Puck. Almost as if to say, "I thought you hated the name." He just shrugs. In all honesty, he's learned to just let her call him by his first name. She's too formal for anything else. Knowing Rachel "Puck" probably sounds too inappropriate for her to say. "Hello?"

"Hi Rachel it's Shelby."

"Oh hi Shelby…" she replies slowly. Give the randomness of the call she really has nothing else to say. Her constant jabber is stuck in her throat, well trained vocal cords afraid to voice anything else. "May I ask why you're calling?" she asked trying to hide the obvious hint of excitement in her tone.

"Well….Actually, I was…ummm thinking you might want to…" she throws a desperate gaze in Puck's direction, hoping for some kind of guidance to give this conversation some kind of flow. He just nods a silent indication for her to keep going. She scowls, somewhat frustrated that he's just letting this continue. "I was thinking that, if you wanted to…we could…do something today." After she's finally pulled out the rest of her sentence, the stare she gives him says how painfully awkward the situation is.

"We?" she asked curiously. The fact that her voice peals so clearly through the phone allows Puck to gage both sides of the conversation.

"Yeah. I think I remember you mentioning something about voice lessons when we last met."

"But you said…"

"I know what I said," she said quickly. Puck eyes her carefully, silent hand motions indicating that she might want to tone it down a little. He knows how useless a tip this is but does it anyway. She just sighs with a roll of her eyes, obviously believing that she hasn't done anything wrong. And maybe, she hasn't but he's learned how quickly things can change. "Listen, I know that I haven't really been an active role in your life and honestly, I don't know how confortable you'd be with any of that. Maybe we could…get to know each other a little." Next to her, Puck sighs. Getting her to say anything at all is like pulling teeth. It's obvious she doesn't want any of it. Maybe he shouldn't have encouraged this at all. Seeing that they're already talking, he just sits back in his chair, waiting for the possible train wreck.

"Really?" she asks excitedly. Puck can hear how desperate she sounds and can't help feeling a little sorry for the girl. Not much though, but a little. "Well I mean, you said no the first time so I can only imagine…"

"No, no," she replies. "I figure that with everything you tried, the least I could do is try and get to know you as well. I think that voice lessons are a good start. We both understand it enough that the situation won't be too awkward."

"That'd be wonderful. I've actually been working on a Barbra piece and can't seem to reach too far into my register to sing it well enough."

"I'll give you directions to my private studio and I'll see what I can do." Puck finds himself cringing again at the high squeal heard on Rachel's end of the line. Shelby just grimaces in disgust as she pulls the phone a few inches away from her. She's somewhat grateful that the next thing she hears is the dial tone. Awkward goodbye turned crisis averted. As for Puck, he can't believe how easily Rachel's accepted the situation. He decides that it's either she's star struck or incredibly naïve about the gravity of the situation, reminding him yet again, how child-like she is.

"See, that wasn't so hard," he said. Shelby simply throws his phone back to him as she hurries to collect her things.

"Now, I just have to figure what I'm going to do with Beth for the afternoon…"

"Quinn and I can watch her," he suggests. Her shoulders go rigid as she just shakes her head.

"No, I'm sure you have your mothers to get back to." The last thing she needs is a couple of teenagers watching a one year old.

"Mine already knows I'm here. I told her I'd be here for the day and we'd do something like dinner tonight or whatever."

"And what about Quinn?" She can't help feeling that her name tastes bitter in her mouth. He wants to tell her that Judy probably hasn't even noticed that Quinn stepped out of the house this morning; her day most likely spent finding the bottom of a bottle of wine. Puck keeps that much to himself, refusing to share that kind of information with a person like Shelby. Not that she would care too much. He just wouldn't make a point of sharing _anything _with her, actually.

"She knows," he easily lied, knowing that if she actually _did _know, she probably wouldn't care.

"I still don't trust the two of you alone with her…" she trailed. _And how do you think I feel _he thought. At this point, he couldn't find it in himself to trust Shelby too much, if at all. The only thing really stopping him from taking his daughter was the threat of probation from his bank heist last year. Not that he actually saw anything wrong. Beth's body language as well as Shelby's told him all he needed to know with no physical proof.

"You don't trust me with my own daughter?" he laughed.

"Well, it's not like you've had experience with children." _Like you have any _he thought laughing to himself.

"I've got a whole lot more than you," he pointed out, not trying at all to hide his superiority over her. Like earlier, he really doesn't care too much about how it affects her. It's not like she takes anyone else's thoughts and feelings under consideration.

"Really?" she laughed crossing her

"Yup. I've got an eight year old sister. Mom works late nights and stuff. I've had years of experience with kids."

"Whatever," she muttered. "I hope you don't plan to take her out," she grumbled. "I gave her a bath this morning and I'd hate to do it again when I get back."

"I don't see why we can't give her one if we do decide to take her out." She just raises a curious brow at him and fumbles for her keys.

"You know, I'm starting to think that maybe I should just take her with me. Who knows what the two of you could do to her in one afternoon. _Show her the real world _he thought.

"No. I want Quinn to enjoy her day. I don't need you putting a bitchy kink in it just because it might mean taking _my _kid out of your perfectly constructed cage."

"I'm not caging her, Puck. It's called keeping her safe. That's what parents usually do with their kids." He scoffs already shooing her out the door.

"Go put your sob story into music." Shelby simply scowls, a finely painted nail digging into her palm. 'We'll be fine for an afternoon."

"Just have her home by six," she mumbled. "I should be home from the studio by then and I'll take her off your hands so the two of you can go on home." It's more than obvious that the two of them aren't friends, the argument in the kitchen doing a great job of furthering the gap of civility. The fact that she's so ready to have them leave makes him angrier than he realizes. Sure, she's raising Beth but the right to see Beth is just as much his as it is Shelby's to be her mother.

"I'll have her home when I have her home," he muttered. She glares at him, her gaze daring him to defy her perfectly drawn out guidelines. He laughs to himself. She's acting as if he should be afraid to not do as he's told. Far from it. He even contemplates letting her know that he isn't a child anymore, that he doesn't need an adult to tell him what he should and shouldn't do. But that would just spark another argument. An argument that would quickly wake Beth who he's sure is already asleep. "It'll be before dark," he promised. _Maybe_.

"If you need anything, there's a list of emergency contacts on the fridge," she sighed. Puck resists the urge to roll his eyes. The list she's referring to, he remembers is about three pages long with the name and number of every medical professional in what he likes to think is all of Lima.

"I think we'll be okay. If she needs to be rushed to the hospital, I think I know the number and address." He watches her mouth gape open in shock and risks laughing out loud this time. The fear in her eyes leaves him with a twisted satisfaction. Not that he'd purposefully land Beth in the hospital. Puck knows he'd go into a full-fledged panic attack or raging anger if he got news of that. Something in him twists in anger but he bites back a verbal reply. To be honest, the fact that Shelby doesn't seem to trust him as far as she can throw him makes him feel less of a man. Not that he should allow her that kind of power over him. He should be used to it by now. No one ever makes a point of trusting him. He's fucked up too much to really deserve it from anyone.

"Maybe the three of you should stay inside…" she trails. Puck just scoffs. "If you really want to go out, there's always the yard. He groans remember that Shelby's "yard" is only then feet of grass and pavement with a white picket fence.

"It's really up to them, don't you think?" Shelby just sighs, her hand still on the door knob. Puck silently wonders if impressions have started to form in her palm considering how much of a grip she's got on the handle. She's tense and Puck realizes that he might not be helping the situation, but quickly decides he doesn't care. He'll be spending the afternoon with his daughter, his family, and she doesn't exactly trust him. Not that he feels he has to prove himself to Shelby. The only one he'd work his ass off for is Quinn and right now would give him a prime opportunity to do that. "I think Rachel's waiting for you. I'd hate for me to be the reason you stood her up." She gives him one last scowl before perfect heels hit the wooden porch. "Took her long enough," he muttered as he closes the door behind her.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he opens the nursery wide enough to let himself inside. He chuckles quietly to himself when he sees that Quinn has fallen asleep in the rocking chair set off to the side with Beth asleep in her arms. Gently, he shakes her awake, greeted with a familiar pout. He hates to do it but she really doesn't look comfortable. It takes her a minute to become familiar with her surroundings, but the minute she does, a glare is shot in Puck's direction.

"You might wanna try the couch or the floor if you're seriously thinking about falling asleep," he whispered. She nodded readjusting herself while at the same time trying to keep Beth in her deep sleep. "She give you any trouble?" he asked. Quinn shook her head as a small smile played on her lips.

"She's actually been out for a while. I've tried putting her down a few times but she's not having it," she said with a raised brow. "Every time I try she just gets fussy and if I'm not fast enough, starts screaming. I don't know why…." Puck nods, already familiar with her bodily contact obsession. Over time, it's made him wonder just how much Shelby's parenting is affecting her.

"She does the same to me. I should've told you to get comfortable. She'll be like that for a while."

"It's almost like she's afraid to be left alone," she whispered. He shakes his head in agreement, running his knuckle along her cheek. Beth only stirs for a second before letting out a gentle sigh as she continues to sleep. "Not that she should be….I'm sure Shelby spends a lot of…"

"I don't know," he mumbled. "I don't know what happens when I leave. And I'm afraid to find out…"

"I'm sure Shelby does a wonderful job with her," she smiled. He just sighs quietly offering to take her. Quinn lets him take her as she rises to pop her cramping muscles. She smiles when she sees that Beth has started to nuzzle him in her sleep. She can feel her heart accelerating at the genuine smile coming across his face. "She knows you so well already," she admires. "She's adjusted herself for you in her sleep," she laughed. Puck looks at her for a second as he brushes the baby's cheek again. As he does, e can't help noticing how nicely the blue brings out her eyes. She hasn't tried to look nice or too dressy. Yet, he can't help staring into them for a few seconds longer than he should have. The only indication that he's over-stayed his welcome is a light blush to her cheeks. Almost instantly, his eyes shift to Beth who's still very much asleep as she quietly mumbles to herself.

"Sorry," he mutters. A light smile tells him he's forgiven after she's covered her face with her hands as a way of recovering. "So...I finally convinced Shelby to call Berry."

"Why?" she asks curiously. It's not like Puck to pay Rachel any favors. In fact, it's not like either of them to take her side. Yet somehow, Quinn found herself defending the girl earlier. Why, she still wasn't entirely sure. Maybe it was a heat of the moment thing or the way Shelby's behavior reminded her so much of Judy's. Either way, they both ended up taking the heat for Rachel. She guessed that, that's what a thing like glee club did to people. They were all a group of ostracized kids just looking for someone to see past their reputations. As much as she hated to admit it, Rachel was one of those kids. One of them.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I guess I just wanted to show Shelby that she doesn't just have Beth. She's got Berry too, no matter how weird their relationship is. It's Mother's Day. She needs to start acting like a mother."

"Where'd you send them?"

"They're going to her private studio or something. I think she said something about voice lessons. I swear Berry's life is nothing but music. Makes me wonder if she ever does anything else."

"I'm sure she does. You'd be surprised how much your passion tends to leak into everything you do. Sure she over-does it a little—"

"A little?" he laughed. "She suggested going over new stuff over summer last year. _Summer_.

"Okay, a lot," she laughed. "But I envy her…" she admitted.

"You envy Rachel? I'm sorry but, _how_?" Quinn just let out a heavy breath. As soon as she did Puck couldn't help feeling slightly guilty. He'd gone and triggered something, screwed up. Again.

"She's driven, she knows what she wants and she's working her tail off to get there. Me? I don't know what I want or what the heck I'm doing. I have no idea what happened but…this isn't me. I've always been so focused, so accomplished. I don't even know what I want anymore," she whispered.

"See, that's the thing about you Quinn. You're too structured. Everything has to go a certain way or everything's going to fall apart. Life isn't like that. Sometimes, you have to let the pieces fall on their own. Look at her," he smiled. She does as she's told trying hard to fight the smile that's come across her face. "Was it in your life plan to sleep with me?" Her eyes widen with a furious shake of her head. "Did you enjoy it for what it was?"

"Sleeping with you has made me a sinner," she whispered.

"You really don't believe all of that, do you? That one mistake has sent you a one way ticket to hell?" She nods despite how much it hurts. She's learned that sex before marriage is a Christian's most damaging sin. Tears begin to cloud her vision as she realizes how much a domino affect one mistake has cost her. Her religion, the love of her parents, her pride, and most painful yet, her daughter.

"It's cost me everything…."

"Quinn, you have to draw a line," he sighed. "You have to balance your beliefs and a freedom to live your life. I still go to Temple every week. Dragged by my mom most of the time but I go. But I'm not a cardboard cut out. And neither are you. You've made mistakes but so has every person who's ever really lived. Do you regret it? Sure, sometimes you do. Sometimes you look back on things and wonder what your life would be like if you hadn't done that one thing. But then you get to look at this, look at her, and see the good that came of it."

"I don't think you get it," she whispered. "I've become a disgrace to my family, my entire community. No matter what you've done, good or bad, you're mom's always been there for you," she sighed.

"Why'd you go home? If she's not being a legit parent, why are you living there?"

"I just….wanted to give her a chance to prove herself. All she's ever done is drown in the closest bottle of booze," she whispered. "Dad's affair is killing her. Not just emotionally, but physically. I don't know if I can watch anymore…"

"Don't," he suggested softly. "If something hurts, you find a way to get rid of it."

"I'm not getting rid of my mom, Puck."

"No, but you get yourself out."

"And where am I gonna go?" she laughed. "I'm not pregnant anymore so my excuses are gone."

"See if you can stay with someone in glee. Mercedes was more than willing to take you outta my house."

"She rescued me," she laughed. "Do you remember how awkward those few weeks were? I think the final straw was the "no bacon" rule." Puck laughed along with her. He'd never say as much out loud but once Quinn left, he kind of missed her constant mood changes. Though having her around at first had been the awkward situation of the century and all they seemed to do was fight, once she left, it was too quiet, too calm. Not even bringing up pointless arguments with his sister seemed to help.

"Oh yeah, and I'm sure you did just fine without your private masseuse," he smirked.

"I did," she admitted smiling brightly. "At least then I didn't bruise anymore."

"Oh, come on! I didn't even press that hard. You had kinks in your back from here to Indiana. If I remember correctly, you fell asleep not too long after," he winked. "Puckasourous has magic hands. You can't deny it, babe." Quinn just rolled her eyes, forgetting for a minute what he'd just called her. "And then I had to haul your sorry as up to bed." Again she finds herself blushing at the memory and at this point is more than glad to have long hair that hides her reaction. She suppresses a yawn and brushes her face tiredly. "See, even the thought is getting you sleepy."

"Puck, do me a favor and shut up," she mumbled. "I'm running on two hours of sleep. As damaging to your ego as this is, it's not the talk of your "magic hands". I'm actually legitimately tired."

"I've got her if you wanna go lay down," he says, his expression softening now. Quinn shakes her head quickly as a way of staying awake.

"You're just as tired as I am," she pointed out. "I think it's safe to put her down now and we can share the couch to rest a while," she suggests, emitting another yawn. Puck nods in agreement, the early day finally catching up with him a little. He quietly wonders what Quinn means by "sharing" and can't help feeling at least a little bit excited at the idea. Getting Beth settled isn't too much of a problem, for the most part. She's just found a way to keep a death on the collar of his shirt again, making separation its usual challenge. She whimpers quietly to herself letting the curtain of her eyes come up, bringing Puck into view.

"Shh baby girl," he whispered. His fingers comb through her hair calmly, her eyes coming down again almost immediately. His lips brush her forehead before he pulls away from her, his attention now focused on Quinn.

"I tried that and it didn't work," she pouted.

"Magic hands," he smirked.

"Be down in two minutes to put those to work before I change my mind," she muttered. "The chair's screwed me up so bad," she pouted.

"Well, isn't somebody a little demanding," he whispered, his comment said only inches from her ear. The breeze sends a slight shiver through her body before she quickly recovers.

"One minute."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. Be down in a sec." Once she's made it back down the stairs, Puck turns to Beth with a heavy sigh. "Your mama's so demanding…." Before closing the door quietly. Jogging down, he makes a crash landing on the couch, his weight moving it slightly. Quinn glares at him, hugging a cushion closely to her body.

"Oops, my bad," he smirks. She just rolls her eyes at him, turning her back in his direction.

"Alright Mr. Magic Hands," she grumbled.

"You know you love it," he whispered already digging out the pile of knots in her neck. In only minutes she can feel her eyes begin to close. Noticing this, she hears Puck say something along the lines of "I told you so," but in mental fog she really can't be too sure. All she knows is that in time, she's found herself leaning against him, his fingers weaving through her hair. "Like mother, like daughter," he laughed. She sleepily swats him away and curls further into some kind of fetal position.

He's starting to feel sleep weigh down on him too but his current situation doesn't allow him much room to stretch out. Quinn has taken up the majority of the couch they had intended to share. So instead, he reaches over her sleeping form for the remote on Shelby's spotless coffee table, half tempted to coat it with finger prints just to piss her off. He decides against it, knowing he has a lot more decency than that. Reaching over Quinn's sleeping form, he flips mindlessly through the ten cable channels she has. She probably has some rule against TV too which makes him feel even sorrier for Beth. Even now, he knows how deprived her childhood is going to be. He sighs, settling for some stupid Hallmark classic because that's really all there is. In fifteen minutes he's bored to the point of sleep, which he quickly choses over the thirty year old movie.

XXX

The front door swings open, startling Puck out of his sleep. Rubbing his face tiredly, he glares at the offending interruption. Shelby is making her presence incredibly obvious, heels clicking with determination on the hardwood floors of the foyer and living room.

"Can you take those off? She's asleep!" he hissed.

"Oh, my apologies," she whispered, eyeing Quinn who is still very much asleep, her head on his lap. She tries hard to hide her disapproval but isn't doing so well.

"It took us an hour. I'd like to see her sleep for as long as she can. Less work for you." Silently, he hopes his little girl gives her hell but for her sake, he wants to see her sleep.

"Thank you," she says much quieter now. Puck just nods mindlessly rubbing Quinn's shoulder as she sleeps.

"The two of you can go now, if you like," she says, opening the door for them to leave within the next ten minutes. He only sighs, gently shaking her again. She mumbles sleepily, swatting his hand off of her.

"Quinn," he whispered. "Shelby's home. I think it's time we get on home too."

"No," she mumbles. "Comfy," she sighs, diffing her face further into his lap. He shifts a little, realizing just how close she is and laughs.

"You can sleep in the truck," he whispered. She nods sleepily, struggling to her feet.

"Woah….Room's all spinny…" she giggled.

"Maybe I should carry you out…"

"Yeah….carry…" He groans, taking her up bridal style and heads for the door. Her hands find their way around his neck, a gentle sigh leaving her lips. Typical Puck sees flirty flags for a minute before mentally sobering up. Shelby's icy glare (which he quickly discovered she's terrible at hiding with her plastered smiles) makes him pick up his stride.

"Thanks for watching her," she says when they've reached the porch. Digging a couple of twenties out of her purse, she offers them too Puck sticking thme into his jacket pocket. With a somewhat disgusted expression, he shakes his head. Who the hell would _pay _him for spending time with his daughter? "I insist," she smiled.

"No. I'm not letting you pay us for spending time with her." Hearing his plural she sighs heavily. "There must be something I can do for you…" _Lemme spend more time with my kid_. "I know how difficult she can be." Puck bites back an outright laugh. If only she knew. He smirks, deciding that she only puts up hell for Shelby. He'll have to thank her for that when she's older.

"Nah, it's okay. Save it for diapers or something. _Or decent cable_. She nods, closing the door as he turns his back. Pulling up next to his truck, he brushes her hair back gently. "Okay Quinn. Gonna need you to swing the door open," he whispers. With eyes still closed, she claws blindly in search for the door handle, making Puck laugh. Placing her inside carefully, he throws his jacket over her shoulders. Pulling away, he cranks up the heat just a little.

XXX

It's been two hours and Shelby's allowed herself to kickback for the night. The volume on the TV rises, in direct proportion to Beth's incessant crying. She hasn't let up since the two of them left. The fact that she's waited until then makes her even more frustrated. She's been working with the "let her cry herself back to sleep" concept but after two hours she shows no sign of letting up.

"Can't sit back and watch some late night TV with some peace and quiet anymore," she sighed. Angrily throwing the remote down, she makes her way up to the nursery. There, she's greeted with a red-faced Beth who's calling out for her father with no intention of stopping. "Beth baby, he's not coming," she whispered, brushing her ankles gently. Stopping momentarily, tear filled eyes fall on Shelby, which immediately start her cries all over again. She raises her brow in concern, noticing that every once and a while she's cried herself so hard that she stops breathing. She picks her up bouncing her a little while making her way to the rocking chair. "You've been at this for two hours, Beth. I would have thought you'd cried yourself to sleep by now," she sighed. The sound of her voice quiets the little girl, who has now focused her attention on the way her lips are forming words she doesn't yet understand. "Just go to sleep…" she muttered. "Please." Beth has found sleep again encouraging Shelby to put her back down. She sends a silent thank you to the universe as she closes the door, making her way back to the living room.

The crying commences not ten minutes later, the little girl's pleading becoming more painful than the last. Shelby's shocked she hasn't lost the ability to hear yet. Increasing the volume on the late night news, she manages to block it out, hoping that soon enough she'll tire herself out. No such luck as an hour progresses with no change. Angrily she marches back up the stairs, greeted again by deafening cries.

"You just won't shut up, will you," she groaned. Her continuous pleading for Puck only makes her angrier. What makes him so much better than she is? He doesn't even live there. She does. She should be listening to her, doing as she says. "You know what Beth?" she growls, sweeping her up into her arms. The shock startles her into silence for three seconds before she cries again. "He's not coming! I don't know how long it's going to take you to understand it but you're dad's not coming! I'm here and I'd really appreciate it if you went to sleep. It's already ten o'clock, four hours past your bed time!" Shelby places her back in her crib, throwing a selection of toys in front of her. "Maybe if you play with these long enough, you'll finally fall asleep."

"Da…" she whimpered, her small lip beginning to tremble.

"He's. Not. Here," she said. The expression on the woman's face sends her into another round of tears. "Beth, listen to me," she sighed. "Mommy's _really _had a long day and I'd really like to relax and catch some sleep."

"Da…"

"You know what? It's virtually impossible to catch a breather in this house anymore. You don't stop needing! Can't you go to sleep like other good little girls?" Beth just looks up at her helplessly, arms coming out to be held. "Just play with your toys," she mumbled. As if she hasn't seen it Shelby turns her back, losing the door behind her. Once the door has closed, Beth picks up her frustration again. "Just make it stop…" Shelby whispered. "Please, just make it stop…." Making her way back down to the kitchen, she pulls out a piece of golden starred stationary, dialing the numbers with an angry thumb.

"Hello…" Rachel answers sleepily.

"Hi Rachel, I hate to be a bother but I need to step out for a minute. Do you think you could watch Beth for a couple of hours?"

"Sure but it's…Almost midnight."

"I know. I remembered something I have to get done at work that needs immediate attention."

"Okay… I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Thank you! You're an angel," she smiles.

XXX

Rachel's been left with Beth for a good half hour now. Unlike Shelby, she's taken to holding her, hoping that doing so will trigger some kind of calm. She has no idea whether she's doing it right or not. She's never babysat or been left with a small child before. Being held doesn't seem to tone her down completely (She's still crying a great deal and won't let up on her new favorite word).

"You can quiet down now, Beth," she whispers. "I have no idea what's gotten you so upset but…."

"Da…"

"I'm sorry, say that again?"

"Da…" she cries more painfully. The word sounds close enough to "dad" that she finally gets it. It takes her a minute to calculate exactly who she's referring to but as soon as she does, she's dialed his number, running her hand awkwardly along the little girl's back. It rings several times before he picks up.

"'llo?" he mumbles.

"Noah?"

"For Christ's sake Berry, it's close to midnight," he muttered. "What do you want?" he growled, wanting nothing more than to find sleep again.

"It's….Beth," she said slowly. Almost like someone has doused him with ice cold water, he's up now and fully awake.

"What about Beth? Is she okay? Is she hurt? Is she...?"

"She's fine….I think. She's been quite upset. From what Shelby tells me, she hasn't slept for four hours. She's been up crying."

"Where's Shelby?"

"Out," she whispered. "She had to take care of something in the studio and called me over." Anger boils as he realizes that Shelby's left his daughter with a virtual stranger. What the fuck would she need from the studio? "She's doing a number on her vocal cords. I'm sad to say her days on Broadway might be out of the question if this continues..." she admits with a hint of sadness.

"I'm heading out to my truck now," he said quickly, throwing on a pair of pants he left on his bedroom floor a few hours before.

"Da…."

"Oh and Noah/"

"Yeah," he replied, cringing as his stomach drops when he hears Beth in the background.

"You might wanna hurry…" He didn't have to be told twice. As he slams his phone shut, he shakes Quinn, who for the night he's sharing his bed with. Taking her home was out of the question, seeing as, since she was asleep the conversation between him and Judy would be more than awkward. Especially if she managed to get herself drunk to the point of no return.

'Quinn," he whispered, nudging her gently.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled.

"You might wanna wake up," he said quickly. "Berry just called. From the sounds of it, Shelby's MIA…"

"What?" she asked with wide-and now very awake—eyes. In the dark, she throws on whatever her hands can find.

"I don't know the details but it doesn't sound good." She nodded feverishly, stumbling alongside him toward the front door and out to the truck. Before she's even got the door closed, he's gunned the engine and whipped out of the driveway. Quinn can feel her heart pick up immeasurably at the thought of what could possibly have gone wrong. Was she sick? Was she hurt? Had Shelby….? No. The headlight of oncoming cars allows her to see what a death grip he's got on the wheel. Without thinking, her hand cups his knuckles, running what she hopes is calm circles around them. Puck just offers her a hard and barely relaxed expression. Time seems to drag on painfully as they wait to close the gap between driveways. The tires squeak loudly as he pulls in making Quinn cringe for a minute.

As the two make their way up the porch, they're immediately greeted by a frazzled Rachel.

"Oh thank God!" She only backs away, allowing them room to come inside. Almost instantly, they're greeted with a red-faced little girl who's almost thrown at Puck. He takes her wordlessly, the little girl clinging to him with every bit of strength she has. The only verbalization she's capable of is Puck's name over and over.

"Shh," he says, loud enough to be heard over her desperate calls. "I've got you baby. Shh," he whispers brushing her hair and tiny beads of sweat from her forehead. Ten minutes have passed before she's finally allowed herself to calm down, curling herself extremely close to him. "That's my girl," he says gently. "Nice big breaths." His daughter having calmed down considerably, Puck finally allows himself to step inside, Quinn following quietly behind him.

"I had no idea what to do…" Rachel cried. "She just kept crying and crying and crying and I just…."

"What the hell happened?" he growled.

"Shelby called me to come over and look after Beth. From what I understand she had to go back to work for something…"

"Not believing that for a _second_," he muttered.

"Well, I don't know, Noah. She just called me and I came over. The crying hasn't stopped until now…"

"So you're telling me, Shelby just let her cry for four hours straight?" Quinn voiced incredulously. She just shrugged, still fighting the ringing in her ears. "Unbelievable," she whispered, tears finding a way to her own eyes.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Out," Rachel said again.

"Wrong. You best try that again," he whispered, glaring at the brunette.

"She's out, Noah. I don't know where," she said quickly.

"Well _someone _better know where she is or I call the cops." The icy glare he's directed at her makes Rachel shrink back considerably.

"Just…breathe, Puck," Quinn whispered, cupping his fist with her shaking hand.

"Don't," he bit. "Don't tell me to calm down. Not when this bitch has quite possibly put my kid's life in jeopardy!" Rachel blanches at his bluntness while Quinn can only sigh with a shake of her head.

"She's fine, Puck. She's just fine," she whispered.

"She's not fine, Quinn," he snarled.

"Who are you holding and what is she doing?" He looks down to see that Beth has stayed asleep, keeping her desperate hold on him. As she drops a light kiss on her forehead, he lets himself breathe.

"What kind of person just lets her cry…?"

"She must just be stressed out," Rachel whispered.

"Don't go making excuses for her, Berry! She left Beth with practically a stranger and before that probably just let her keep crying in the privacy of her own room."

"Puck she would never…" Quinn said shocked.

"I wouldn't put it past her," he muttered, holding Beth closer. The little girl offers him a set of dough eyes, eliciting a whimper as she wraps her hand around his finger. He kisses her hand, fighting tears of his own. At the sight of Puck's solid walls coming down, Quinn can't help losing it herself. Never in her life had she seen Puck so protective, so determined…so vulnerable.

"Puck?" she whispers. "You okay?" He blinks, looking up at her failed attempt to stay calm.

"No," he whispered. Even though his tears have been wiped away, the fear in his gaze is still there. "I won't be okay until Shelby pays for what she's done."

"Noah," Rachel voices calmly. "This is one incident…I doubt something like this will be repeated."

"It's not the first time," he whispered. "I've done this a couple of times already," he sighed. "She's called me, frazzled out of her mind, begging me to "make it stop."

"Sweet Jesus," Quinn muttered. "How could she just…?" she whispered, kissing Beth's forehead tenderly.

"I have no fucking clue," he growled. Quinn brushes her onsie-clad leg gently making the little girl whimper painfully. She brushes the same place again, receiving the same result. Tenderly exposing her ankle, tears crawl down her face.

"Puck?" she says in barely a whisper. He looks at where she's directed his attention and goes cold. There, staring them right in the face is a deep bruise.

"Fuck…" Instinct has him running a thumb along the injured area which is met with another one of Beth's protests. "I'm sorry, baby. Daddy won't touch it again," he whispers. The quiet conversation is shattered by the swinging open of the front door.

"Noah, Quinn, what the hell are you doing here?" Shelby snapped. Sweeping Beth into her arms, holding her close enough to her, he glares at the two. The sight of Shelby's face has started another round of piercing cries.

"GIVE ME MY DAUGHTER!" he snarled.

"Like hell!" he shot back.

"Shelby, don't make me ask you twice," he said lowly. "Give me. My daughter!"

"And why the hell would I do that? You've spent plenty of time with her today. What? Couldn't get enough?"

"I want to give you enough time to run once I've called the cops."

"Why in the world would you call the police?" she asked incredulously.

"Care to explain these?" he asked in a deadly calm, once again exposing Beth's peppered skin.

"She must have fallen or something. Let me get some…."

"Nice try. She's not quite walking yet. Try again," he muttered.

"You think I hurt her?" she asked shocked.

"No. I _know _you did," he growled. "I've known for a while but I finally have physical proof!"

"That's ridiculous, Noah. I would never lay a hand on my daughter!"

"So you decide to do whatever the hell you want with _mine_," she stated with a blazing anger.

"How many times do I have to remind you that she's not yours!" she bellowed. While Quinn has her distracted, Puck takes her to him protectively.

"Well, she's not going to be yours much longer," he laughed, hearing a knock at the front door. The lights of a squad car light the shocked expression on her face.

"You called the damn cops?"

"Nope!"

"I did," Rachel said proudly.

"You! I trusted you! I asked you to look after her while I was out and this is what you do to me?"

"What I do for you and what I do for Beth are two completely different things. "

"I'm shocked you were able to get yourself home," Puck said. "You look pretty intoxicated from this angle."

"You think I went out and got drunk?" she asked shocked.

"I know you did," he smirked. "I know what drunk looks like. And, I don't know about you but, given your situation, I'm not sure you're in any condition to look after small children." The clasp of metal bracelets stops Shelby from sending a punch to his jaw.

"Shelby Cocraine, you're under arrest for the neglect and abuse of Beth—Puckerman-Fabray Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law…"

"I wanna see my lawyer!" she bellowed.

"You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you…" Rachel more than gladly throws the door closed as the three of them exit.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Now, we call Artie's dad. I want those papers shredded and re-directed, tomorrow," Quinn said with determination.

"No need," Rachel smiled. "I've got a list of lawyers my dads have used over the years," she said already dialing, who they believe to be one of her fathers. Puck and Quinn groan simultaneously, realizing that if one of her hundreds of lawyers takes their case, they'd owe her for life.

"Thank you," Quinn whispered, surprising herself by offering Rachel a hug. She goes stiff for a minute, not at all expecting this display of appreciation before returning it.

**A/N: Okay! Chapter three is here. Please don't hurt me….Let me know how it went, please. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: After a few months, the muse is back. Sorry for the delay.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee.**

As he holds her to him, Puck can't help but feel a more than obvious tremble to Beth's tiny form as she clings to him. He's lost track of how much time has passed since watching Shelby be dragged away. Time, he decided was irrelevant. He would willingly sit there an entire day if it meant making sure she was safe. Keeping a constant rhythm along her back only helps a little as she continues big, even breaths between whimpers. With each one, Puck can't help but feel more and more helpless, guilty even.

"I'm sorry, baby," he whispers. "So sorry." His mind rolls back to just a few hours before, the unease from earlier coming back in full force. "I should have stayed," he mumbles. If I'da just listened to myself… " he sighs, letting his voice fall to a whisper as he attempts to take her closer to him, brushing his lips across her forehead. "Close your eyes, pretty girl," he murmurs combing a hand lightly through her hair. Though her eyes have closed, Beth remains on edge. Puck can only breathe another heavy sigh as the heat of her small body melts into him.

Even if she's visibly shaken, he can feel a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Beth's here, safe, with him. _Where she should be _he thinks. In fact, he more than thinks it. He knows it. Puck knows that's exactly how it should be. It takes him until now to pull himself out of his own head. Reality has Rachel talking a mile a minute making him cringe a little. "It's midnight. How the hell can she find the energy to keep talking?" he mutters. "Better question being, how are people still awake?"

Quinn offers Puck a small smile as she watches him from her place on the couch. A twinge of sadness washes over her when she realizes he hasn't moved since taking her back from Shelby. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if the position they sat in now was the exact same one as an hour before. She finds herself biting through her lip as he hovers over her protectively, almost cradling Beth like a mother hen. Any resentment she felt for their bond earlier that day was almost non existent now. Instead she was simply grateful, the feeling spotted with bits of guilt for denying them the kind of relationship her daughter (Was it safe to call her that yet?) and Puck clearly needed. She hadn't seen it for more than a day but in cases like these, a day was enough.

"How is she?" Quinn whispered hesitantly brushing a finger over Beth's cheek. She pulls back a little when the baby cringes at her touch, a light whimper voicing her complaint. She decides instead to sit next to Puck, hands quietly twisting in her lap. He throws her an apologetic look as he runs a hand mindlessly along her back.

"I don't know," he whispers honestly, inhaling quietly. Puck's nose wrinkles almost instantly as he does, resisting the urge to hold her at arm's length. Quinn throws him a set of curious eyes, watching his face twist in disgust. As soon as she does, the smell hits her as well causing her to pull back in surprise. "How hammered was this bitch?" he groans. Quinn's eyes flicker with a warning for only a couple seconds before he sees them cloud with concern.

A sense of relief comes over her as she watches Rachel work on what must be her twentieth phone call of the night. "She does know people sleep around this time, right?" he mutters. Quinn just laughs slightly amused at their friend's constant failures. She's tentative about offering Beth the slightest touch, afraid she might end up rejected again. A subtle nod from Puck brings a shaky hand to her daughter's back, hazel eyes snapping open as she nuzzles her father tiredly. Puck watches Quinn's face fall for only a second as Beth turns away from her. "Mama's not gonna hurt you, baby girl," he whispers gently turning in her direction. Quinn can't help the soft smile that Puck's reassurance has put on her face. It's almost immediately washed over by overwhelming fear.

"Puck…?" she mumbles. He meets her eye with a soft smile of his own as he brushes a bit of hair from his daughter's eyes. "What if…?" Quinn asks timidly. Despite almost demanding the little girl be put back in their custody (she be damned if she put Beth through the system. She knows for a fact that Puck would never forgive her. It would be even harder for Quinn to find a way to forgive herself.) she was almost walking in blind. Her parents were never what would call supportive or even all that present. To be completely honest, she found them to be rather cold. How is she supposed to love when she was never taught how? "What if I can't?" she whispers.

"You can," he says with an air of confidence. One thing that came of their late night talks was a freedom to be open. It may have started off as both of them losing someone but, even if they hadn't planned on it, they'd let themselves slip into something deeper. Something she felt only he could understand. And he did, even if that wasn't a part of the plan. When Puck meets her gaze it's more than skeptical. He only shakes his head. Quinn's eyes widen as she gives a furious shake of her head when Puck sets Beth in her lap. He pays no attention her refusal and watches the little girl's head lull beneath her chin. "Just keep your arms…" he instructs, gently bringing them to settle appropriately. A sleepy sigh leaves her sleeping form when she shifts again.

Watching her eyes snap open, Quinn feels herself go into some kind of panic as she awkwardly hands Beth back to Puck. "I…I can't," she mutters moving to the far end of the couch. Groaning quietly, Puck slides further down letting their knees barely brush.

"You can, Quinn. She does that when she's moved around a bit." Quinn can't help feeling the slightest bit jealous when she takes in the perfect picture of the two of them. Beth looks so relaxed, so peaceful held protectively against Puck. If she wasn't still trembling a little from a few seconds ago, she would have laughed at the difference in size. Beth resembled a doll when compared to him. "You wanna try one more time?" he asks gently. Almost positive with her answer, she shakes her head again, curling into herself, head resting on her knees. "Come on..." he smiles, already preparing to hand her off. "C'mon Quinn. I really have to pee," he mutters.

Were she not slightly pissed off and still terrified, she would have laughed. Instead, she rolls her eyes letting shaky hands take the sleeping baby from him. The minute she's in her lap, Quinn sends up a silent little pray, hoping Beth can be still and silent for two minutes. "You're doin' great," he whispered bringing a light kiss to her forehead. At the few seconds of contact, Quinn can feel her cheeks redden as she glares at his departing figure. Both for putting her in charge of a baby she felt she would drop or disturb the minute he had his back turned and for bringing a heat to her cheeks. When he's finally out of earshot Quinn blows a heavy sigh through her lips.

"It's just you and me, baby," she whispers brushing a thumb along her cheek. She feels herself go stiff as Beth shuffles in her arms. Letting her hand go back to just hovering over her back, Quinn bites her lip nervously, closing her eyes while she mutters a silent plea. "Beth….Please don't—" Letting her nuzzle further into her neck, she blows a breath of relief when the baby stills in her arms. "Than—" As soon as sleepy eyes settle on Quinn, she watches a pair of small lips quake, her face going red. "No…" she whispers bringing her closer. She begins a set of what she hopes to be soothing patterns along Beth's back as it shudders under her hand. "Shh," the murmurs gently. Despite the patterns and soothing tone she's offered, Beth has only gotten louder causing Quinn to become frantic. Seeing Puck come strolling back in, Quinn feels her body relax, legs already working to meet him halfway. "See Beth?" she tried to smile making herself loud enough to be heard over the little girl's desperate pleas for her father. "He's right here, sweetheart." The minute he comes into her line of sight, Beth's cries seem to grow louder as she throws herself at him. As he lets her cling to him, Puck begins a string of reassurances, meeting Quinn's gaze in his peripheral vision.

"Shhh," he whispers to Beth as she seems to grow visibly calmer. "It's okay Beth. Big breaths," he whispers, racing a finger along her back. "Nice and big," he murmurs as she shifts her head to look at him. In the sudden silence he notices her labored breathing and her eyes are a deep red. Puck feels a shiver quake her tiny frame as he brings a light kiss to her forehead. "Better?" he smiles. The only answer he gets is a tight grip to the collar of his shirt. "I don't about you but I think somebody needs a bath," he chuckles.

Puck meets Quinn's gaze as all she's done is stare for the last three minutes. She can't help feeling a little crest fallen at the events that just unfolded in front of her. Beth couldn't even last two minutes without losing it. At the same time, she can't be entirely shocked either. Quinn's never exactly dealt with babies before. Babysitting can only take one so far, really. Add the fact that this is her first day ever seeing Beth that she's able to actually remember and it's no wonder she wants Puck within reach. He's been there, she hasn't. Simple as that.

"Two minutes," she smiles. "That's gotta be some kind of record," she teases. Puck shoots her a sad smile as he watches her rest out of the corner of his eye. He can tell she's disappointed by the way she just watches him. His hand to her shoulder startles her only slightly but she can't help a soft smile at his touch.

"Give yourself some time," he whispers. "She's a little shaky. She wants familiar." Quinn can't help rolling her eyes at him and how obvious he's sounding. Of course she wants familiar. Quinn's practically a stranger to the poor girl who's quite possibly been scarred for life, no thanks to Shelby. Even thinking the name puts a sour taste in her mouth and she cringes visibly.

"My fault," she mutters. It's now that she finds the patterns in the carpet under her feet strangely fascinating. She'll do anything not to have to look him in the eye. She knows what they would tell her, how they would read. They read disappointed, sad, sympathy. The last thing Quinn needs is sympathy. This right here is her fault. She can blame no one but herself for what's happened, for the hell she's put her daughter through. "I honestly thought she'd be…safe," she whispers. "….happy. And now this," she mutters more than disgusted with herself. "My…My baby's in pain. Battered and bruised and it's…me. All me," she adds, the last of it barely audible as it catches in her throat. She doesn't even realize that she's let herself dissolve until she takes in the scent of his aftershave, one strong arm bringing her closer to him.

"I need you to stop," he says gently. "Stop blaming yourself. You did what you thought was best for her. You can't beat yourself up for being selfless, Quinn. You can't. What you _can _do is be her now. Be the mom I _know _you can be. Is it a little soon? Hell yes. But that doesn't change what's already happened. What's important now is that we do what we can. With Shelby in the slammer, I'm not gonna see her go through the system. Not when she's got a mommy and a daddy right here," he whispers.

"School," she reasons. "What about school? And money and jobs?" she says resisting the smile that pulls against her lips as he brushes along her face. "How are we going to do all that…?"

"We make it work," he says with a shrug.

"She can't handle more than a minute away from you," she points out. A small smile spreads across his face despite the seriousness of the conversation. Puck thinks for a minute before offering her a subtle smirk.

"We'll see how she does after a week."

"You're going to skip school for an entire week? We still have a month of classes."

"Where else can she go? There is no way in hell CPS is taking her," he says seriously. Quinn's gaze softens at his determination. Now, it's her turn to bring a hand to his shoulder. "You really think I would do that?" she asks incredulous.

"Well it sure sounded like…"

"Why do you think I want those papers shredded and written in our favor? I just don't know how…" she admits letting her eyes meet carpet, voice falling to a whisper.

"You learn."

"Yeah but what if I…?"

"You won't," he shoots back affectively cutting her off.

"How do you know that?"

"I know you, Quinn Fabray."

"Puck…" she smiles humored by just how clueless he could be sometimes. "You really don't."

"But I know enough," he says. "For now, I know enough. And that's good for now." It's at times like these that make Quinn wonder why she'd ever turned him down, why she'd never offered him the chance she knew somewhere deep inside herself that he deserved. This Puck, the one he'd seen all day, had an eerie resemblance to the one she'd encountered at the hospital. He was soft spoken, determined, vulnerable. _This_ was Noah.

"What if she ends up needing more than a week?" she ventures. Puck only shrugs.

"Then we do more than a week," she says as though it's the most obvious answer.

"School," she whispers. It's really a wonder (even to herself) that she could be thinking about her education at a time like this. Here they were, Beth fresh from…whatever it was that she's just been through (Quinn decides not to label it. Leaving it nameless is easier) and all she can think about is classes.

"That's not our number one right now," Puck says pulling her out of her minor trance. She nods, for once, (maybe twice now) agreeing with his logic.

"You're right," she whispers. He easily hides his surprise at what she's just admitted. It might be the first time he's ever won one of their "arguments" Still, he can't keep a small smirk from spreading across his mouth. "Don't get used to it," she grumbles. The smile stays, regardless. Only a few seconds after they've closed up their discussion, Rachel strolls in, a lot less perky than when she first arrived. Quinn barely manages to keep from staring, open-mouthed at the startling difference.

"Alright well, I've managed to contact every one of my previous lawyers, leaving messages on each of their machines for them to review in the morning." Puck rolls his eyes at her as he tries to hide a small smile.

"Couldn't you have done that in the morning? Ya know, when everyone's actually _awake _and in the office?" The brunette just shrugs plopping herself down on the couch behind her.

"No time like the present," she smiles. His reply is a scoff, earning him a light nudge in the rib from Quinn.

"What?" he hissed.

"Be grateful," she mutters between clenched teeth.

"Yeah…Thanks Berry."

"Glad to do it," she says cheerfully. Puck silently wonders which part of it she enjoyed more. The helping or the chance to talk nonstop for at least an hour. "This way, you can be sure that your case is one of the first ones reviewed by one of Daddy's attorneys. It moves the process along much faster." He nods, not really caring on the particulars of the whole thing. The bare-boned facts were that they were getting Beth back. To him, that's all that really matters.

"Thanks again," he mumbled.

"I should probably…get home," Rachel decides awkwardly.

"Rachel, it's one in the morning," Quinn counters. "Take one of the spares upstairs."

"What?" Puck hissed. The blond just shoots him a glare urging him to just agree with her so they can move on.

"Oh, no, no. My house is just a few blocks up," she says, her hand already working to open the front door.

"Berry, you're outta your fucking mind," Puck mumbles. Considering what she's just done for them, he figures he might as well just side with Quinn on this one.

"Puck!" Quinn shoots back, slightly disgusted by his choice of words.

"What? She is! It's dark as hell out there and who knows what could happen. Go ahead and crash in one of the bedrooms," he almost demands. "Here's hoping you actually get enough sleep for school tomorrow," he mutters.

"Thank you," Rachel whispers shyly, pulling out her phone to send a quick note to her dads.

"They track you like a puppy or something?" Puck asks amused.

"No…" she says slowly. "I just like to let them know where I am periodically."

"That's called tracking…" he mumbles.

"Do either of _your _parents know where you are?" she challenged, shooting each of them a glance.

"Yup," Puck replies smugly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we better to hit the sack. Hope it's comfy enough for you." Making his way up the stairs, Puck notices Rachel's attempt to hide shock as it flashes across her face.

"You two…?"

"No," Quinn answers for them. Even though he knows it's true, Quinn's denial of the sleeping arrangements has left him a little disappointed. After saying one more quick and somewhat strained goodnight to Rachel the three make their way up to the bathroom.

"You wanna start the tub while I strip her down?" She nods filling only the first couple of inches. When Puck tries putting her in the water, she doesn't even last a second before starting to cry. "Okay, okay. Shh. We'll just sit here for a minute, alright?" he whispers, Beth's small hands take hold of him as a short set of whimpers voice her unease. Quinn shuffles awkwardly, biting her lip as she finally lets her suggestion slip from her lips.

"Maybe…." she mumbles. "I think the best way to…get her to take one is if you…." Puck looks up at her slightly amused as he watches her struggle with her words. Quinn wants to smack herself for sounding like such a moron. She's always been so sure about everything she thinks and says. Words have honestly never been this hard to find. She blames Puck for that. Puck and his…She shakes her head a subtle warmth crawling up her neck.

"Got in there with her?" he finishes raising a brow. She can only nod as it deepens to a light pink settling on her cheeks. Knowing that it will more than likely land him in hot water, he fights the smirk that wants to spread across his lips as he watches Quinn's face turn color, her gaze averted in the opposite direction. He nods realizing that it might be the only way they get a bath out of her. "Can you take her for a minute?" Quinn nods uneasily as she offers to take her, relieved when she seems oddly…quiet now. He smiles as he takes Beth back, a small nod being his silent approval. "Being a good girl for Mama?" he asks as he steps in, in nothing but boxers. Despite everything, she can't help but stop and stare for a minute. It's not like she hasn't seen any of it before. In fact, she's seen more of it than she should. Still, there's something new about it. Maybe it's the fact that she's stone-cold sober this time. Either way, she spends the next ten minutes just…watching.

Even if she doesn't dare to touch Beth yet, that doesn't hide the fact that she can see them. Little tiny bruises and lacerations cover her impossibly small body, the sight of each one causing her throat to go dry as a lump finds its way there. She watches Puck tense in visible anger as he lightly traces over them, whispering apologies for every one of them that hurts Beth. Shaking her head, she decides to watch _them _instead. Quinn still can't get over how gentle a guy like Puck can get. He's handled her so carefully it almost makes her want to cry. _Why couldn't my daddy be like that?_ It takes her until now to finally admit why it was she envied Puck so much when it came to Beth. Puck is everything a father should be, everything hers should have been.

"I lied," she whispers. He looks up at her with curious eyes that don't waver for what feels like a long time. "The night she was born…When we watched her outside that window…I said "no" while everything in me but one little piece said "yes". I let the little piece win. The last thing I wanted was to…become my mother. I couldn't…I wouldn't let her live my life. You learn from your history or you're doomed to repeat it," she whispers.

"You're not your mother," he says letting the water cascade over Beth's lathered hair. "I don't know how you would even think that…" Quinn offers a small, private smile. Looking down at her watch, she realizes it's around that same time now. Round one. As is their routine, there is no ice breaker. She just says what needs to be said

"I live a life of perfection, Puck. I practically breathe it. I have to. That's how I was raised. I know first hand what it does to someone. I wasn't gonna be that person, that mom."

"You're not," he mumbles, a light growl to his reply. Quinn just shakes her head.

"I pray I don't end up like them…"

"I don't know why you're praying for stuff like that. I can already tell. Remember this morning when she had her first meltdown?" she nods. "She was all good as long as you just held her for a minute. You sat up here for about twenty minutes and just let her sleep. Not in her crib, where she could have been. You just held her. You jumped out of bed even before I did to get back here. You defended her against Shelby. Twice. That right there tells me a lot. You're nothing like your parents, Quinn. I don't know how many times we're going to have this talk until you actually believe me." Despite how much she wants to contradict him, all Quinn can do is smile. Puck feels a similar expression cross his face when he sees it. It's genuine, bringing a light to her eyes he hasn't seen in a while. The full affect sets something off in him that he hasn't felt all year, though he can't exactly place it.

Quinn chuckles as she watches Beth's head lull forward onto her father's chest. Stepping forward they make a quiet exchange so Puck can make his way out. After only a minute, Beth starts to squirm finally settling in the crook of her neck. Only the smallest of whimpers this time as she sleepily calls out for Puck.

"He's here, Beth," she whispers.

"Lemme just grab my extra pair of clothes. I'll be right back."

"You keep an extra pair of—? You know what, nevermind." She decides not exactly having the energy to question his motives. He returns a minute later in fresh clothes as they make another quiet exchange. After changing her into clean pajamas the two spend a minute just starring at each other. "You take this one. I'll take the one across the hall…"

"It's not like we haven't done it before," he pointed out. She wants to reason with him that his room had been her only option earlier that night. Now, they had more options. More than they should for a single woman and a baby. Instead, she rolls her eyes at him, setting them in a glare. "I won't do anything, I swear," he says raising his hands in surrender. Quinn only groans but finds herself agreeing with him. She won't tell him but being alone is really the last thing she wants tonight.

"I'm trusting you," she muttered as the three make their way to the bedroom. As they both slip under the covers, Beth comfortably lying on Puck's chest, Quinn offers him a small smirk when she sees his eyes light up.

"Is that my…?"

"It was the first one I could find in a rush," she says quickly.

"Uh huh…." He smirks.

"It's a nice shirt, okay? It's warm…." Quinn adds in a whisper. _And it kinda smells like you_. His smirk turns to a real smile as she voices her line of confessions. Puck continues to stare her down teasingly causing her to cross her arms angrily. "What?" she bites.

"I like it," he admits. Offering him an exaggerated sigh, she turns back to face him running a hand quietly through Beth's hair.

"Sweet dreams, baby," she whispers. Turning back to Puck, Quinn hesitantly rests her head on his shoulder, her action receiving a questioning look. "The pillow's too soft," she lies. He nods bringing his arm back around her. After a few minutes, she sighs, deciding that the arrangement's only for tonight. Tonight, she needs this, probably more than ever. Not Puck but the way his arm kinda just lays there protecting her, protecting both of them. Almost like he's supposed to. She needs safe. Tonight, more than anything, she just needs to feel safe. Wanted would be nice. Wanted and loved. Yeah, love would be nice too. Though she can't exactly put a finger on what that is or how it's supposed to make her feel. All she knows is that it's different. Different in a way that terrifies her. Different in a way that almost makes her want to run and hide. But there's nowhere to go. Nowhere she can or wants to go.

Hearing his steady breath as he quickly falls to sleep Quinn suddenly feels at ease, a sense of peace washing over her. Then it hits her. It's just Puck. Right here, right now, all she really needs is Puck. Puck and Beth. "Goodnight…Noah," she mumbles before letting her head roll onto his shoulder again. Once she does, Quinn can feel herself falling asleep faster, easier, than she has in almost a year.

**A/N: Yay! Finally cranked out another one. I'm actually quite please with how it turned out. How did it go?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! **

Quinn wasn't quite sure where the sun was coming from as she felt it beat down on her face. Blinding probably but she wasn't about to open her eyes just yet and find out. Instead, she found herself rolling even closer to the wall that seemed to have joined her at some point. Even stranger still, she's reaching for it, clinging to it in some kind of blind and foreign desperation. Quinn startled when she felt it move, the curtain of her eyes brought up completely. Puck was close enough so that the heat of his breath blew quietly along her cheek. Her eyes widen even further as she finally registers, connecting the dots in ways she's not supposed to. Before she could figure out if freaking out about this is appropriate, she hopped out of bed and shot across the room. Caught between rolling her eyes and allowing herself the smallest of smiles, she watched as his free hand groped the space she'd just vacated. It almost seemed as though he needed her to…No. Quinn shook her head not allowing herself to think like that just yet, if at all.

"Baby, come back," she heard him groan as he reached blindly for the pillow next to him. Quinn was only the slightest bit surprised to still see Beth tightly brought to him. It looked like she hadn't moved all night. Getting a closer look, neither of them seemed to have moved until just now, if the darkness she saw them in a few hours ago proved decent enough. She bit her tongue to keep from countering his mumbled claim but couldn't bring herself to shatter his illusion just yet. As much as Quinn knew she shouldn't, something's pulled her back into her spot on the bed as she carefully took the pillow from his hold. When he finally released it, her head came to rest on it as she ran a finger along the little girl's cheek, small hands clinging to her father like some kind of monkey. Beth remained asleep, a relief to Quinn in more ways than one. This was probably one of the only decent rests she's gotten.

Eying Puck's sleepy expression, she could feel her heart pick up speed. She's thrown back into thinking for just a second allowing herself to decide whether or not this is normal or acceptable. Before she could make use of her proper use of 'yes' and 'no' a shaky finger traced along his defined jaw. She couldn't quite recall ever doing this before but something about his face is so familiar that she couldn't seem to stop herself. Puck looked so relaxed. Probably the most relaxed she's seen him in a while. She was quick to decide the little girl wrapped tightly around him had something to do with it, almost as if he's finally at peace with how things are or how things are supposed to be or should have been. She spent a few more seconds in guilt before shaking it off. _What's done is done_ she remembered him telling her a few times. Quinn quickly pulled her hand back as he shuffled again, his eyes opening slightly. She was greeted that sleepy smile that puts a hammer in her heart, it's presence scaring her a good ten seconds before she finally calmed down enough

"Morning," she whispered.

"Its 'cause I've got a baby, isn't it?" he smirked. Raising a brow in confusion she looks between the two. "The reason you ran off and then came back," he clarified. "It's because I was holding her." Shaking her head she just laughed.

"What does Beth have to do with me crawling back into bed?" She waited, resisting the roll of her eyes as she could hear the sarcastic remark coming off of his tongue. To her surprise, there was none. "It's cold," she half lied proving her point by burying herself closer into the blankets. "Cold and lonely," she whispered.

"If that's the story you wanna tell…." He muttered. She wasn't about to tell him how fascinated she'd become in watching him sleep. Not only was it creepy but she felt it wasn't her place to admit such a thing given their…whatever they had. "I personally think you just couldn't resist all of this," he smirked sleepily before propping on his elbow to wake himself a bit, a smile coming across his lips. Quinn just rolled her eyes smacking him lightly as she did so. "Do that enough times and they're gonna roll right outta your head, Fabray," he chuckled. Puck bit back his next comment as he allowed himself a look into them for a few beats longer than should be allowed. He didn't have to wait long to see them skewed in a proper glare.

"What are you looking at?" she asked lazily. Puck just shrugged.

"Nothing," he said quickly, turning away before he allowed himself to get lost in her gaze once more.

"Liar," she whispered, a heat crawling up her neck that she tried to hide with little success.

"I like them," he said with an uncharacteristic shyness. Quinn only blushed deeper at his admission sinking further into the bed; almost wishing it could actually swallow her before she could grow even more embarrassed and oddly taken aback by this side of him. She'd seen it only a handful of times before, the feeling of his compliments still somewhat foreign to her. She cleared her throat kicking the sheets back quickly.

"We should probably…get home," she said finally standing as she threw the covers off of him. She startled as he allowed himself a subtle growl, pulling them back over himself and Beth. Biting her lip, she waited a beat as the little girl blinked, a subtle whimper passing her lips as she looked over at Puck, trying to make sense of the noise he'd just made. Quinn half expected her scare but smiled softly as she just took a firmer hold of him. "Did Daddy scare you?" she whispered offering her a cautious run through her short hair. Beth only sighed, repositioning to find sleep once more. "Nice going, Puckerman," she teased.

"I didn't do anything," he mumbled. Now that she had a good look at her she realized how right he was the day outside the nursery window. Beth looked almost nothing like him with the exception of her darkened mess of hair. "If it weren't for the hair…" he smiled. Quinn offered him a playful glare as she ran her fingers through it.

"Personality's all you," she said. "I've been here a day and I can already tell that gets exactly what she wants, down to the letter."

"Sounds a lot like you," he countered. She rolled her eyes but chuckled nonetheless. "You wanna try taking her so I can get up?" he offered. Looking between them, Quinn was quick to shake her head.

"What if I...? You know…"

"You're not gonna break her," he laughed. She groaned, the words he stuck in her mouth not exactly the ones she was planning to use.

"I don't think she….likes me," Quinn muttered. Not liking her was only part of it. "I don't wanna scare her," she admitted quietly. Puck carefully rose with the little girl still taken to him. She watched him carefully detach her, keeping contact until Quinn timidly took her. As she settled and Puck took his hand away, Quinn's eyes widened just waiting for her reaction to the change of hands. Puck smiled as she offered no complaint. Quinn could only bite her lip waiting for the scream. Instead, she was met with a pair of pleading eyes as the little girl took a spot below her chin and clung to her. She could feel a natural smile, though small, come across her own face which was quick to meet Puck's knowing eyes; that satisfied smirk at the corner of his mouth. "Just keep her tight and close." She nodded obediently her arms instinctively tightening around her. "Well, now that you've got the kid, I guess that's my cue to figure out what we've got to eat in this joint."

"And then we go home," Quinn muttered silently wondering where exactly home was. Spending the night at Puck's house (or what they could of the night before all hell broke loose) was the best few hours of sleep she'd gotten in a while. She had no intention of facing her mother today. She felt even less inclined to do so where Beth was concerned.

"That's the plan," he smiled taking a good long look at Beth. "I just gotta figure out how to tell Mom…"

"The truth?" Quinn suggested.

"Well yeah but she isn't going to be…thrilled," he said finally. "We have to find a way to break it to her without yelling."

"Puck, once you tell her what we saw, show her what we…" Quinn allowed herself to visibly cringe. She was quick to silence herself before saying anything else she knew would upset him as she took a seat at the kitchen table. She saw him grimace as he gave the fridge and its contents a once over.

"Should've stayed…"

"You didn't know," she said carefully.

"Felt it in my gut. You know those things you just…know? You don't quite get where they come from but you just…feel it somewhere in you? It showed up the minute she walked through the door. Shelby was so quick to get us out, so determined to see us go home. Almost like she wanted to be left alone to…"

"Stop," she said quietly. Looking over at her, he raised a brow. "That was yesterday. This is today. Where is she now?"

"The slammer," he said gruffly. "Where she should be." Quinn nodded, a small smile finding a way to her face. The smile quickly fell as Beth shuffled, her eyes popping open as they took him in at the counter, a whimper turned shrill cry and desperate reach for him breaking the semi silence that had fallen over them. Quinn could feel her teeth working their way through her lip as she took note of Beth's shaking frame, small face buried in Puck's shoulder almost as if the sun coming through the window would blind her.

"She…spooked," Quinn guessed. "I didn't…I didn't…." she said quickly, covering her bases on instinct.

"I know," he said slowly. "She scared herself. Must have seen something," he mumbled kissing her forehead. "Shh," he murmured. "Easy Beth. Nice big breaths. It's okay, baby. Whatever you saw…S'not gonna hurt you." The little girl simply curled into him further, fist firmly kept in her mouth. As he tried to move it, she brought her hand back in on a firm grip. "Hmm….What do you have for you? Hey, you ever have a waffle before? Those things are like heaven."

"Second to bacon," she countered, the smallest of voices used to make sure it didn't crack as she watched Beth being pulled away once more. Quinn could feel her heart plummet for just a second as the little girl seemed to calm instantly once taken from her. She should be able to do just as much, comfort her own daughter just as well but she couldn't. She couldn't do a single thing but be a bit angry, a slight flame of jealousy surfacing at the sight of them. _Exactly what I was afraid of _she thought, quick to keep her face blank before Puck had a chance to look over and ask questions. She only watched them from her spot in the kitchen playing mindlessly with the tablecloth in front of her to keep busy hands.

"Waffles," he shot back.

"Shouldn't we let her decide?" Quinn chuckled. Puck offered a curt nod brushing along her back.

"First up, waffles. Food of the gods." Quinn couldn't keep from rolling her eyes, a light laugh escaping her. She was surprised at just how light she felt despite the weight of last night's events. There was something about Puck that eased her in almost every way. Not quite able to put a finger to it was something new for her. Usually, everything she ever said or did had a decent, well thought out reason. Noah Puckerman was somewhat of a mystery to her, even now. She took in the edge of a small piece of paper, Rachel's perfect script sprawled out across it.

"Didn't even hear her leave this morning," she muttered. "Maybe I could get her to…" She let her thought fall off as she read the note carefully.

_Good morning!_

_I'm off to get some practice in before first period. Heard back from a couple of the calls I made last night. They need at least a day to review your case and outline a plan of action. Enjoy your day._

_Rachel_

At the bottom was her signature gold star at which Quinn couldn't help letting out a subtle roll of her eyes.

"Who?"

"Rachel. I'm usually a really light sleeper…"

"Nothing could wake you last night," he said. "Beth was up at least three times and you didn't move. At all.

"Oh," she whispered. "Must have really been out then…" She saw Puck nod out of the corner of her eye and smiled a bit. She couldn't remember getting such a decent sleep since…"Haven't had one of those in…Well…"

"Since moving out," he provided; the smallest of smirks on his lips. "I could tell."

"I never…"

"You called me every night, Fabray. Do you not remember?" She shook her head slowly noticing the hint of disappointment in his eyes as she agreed that she didn't. It seemed she made a point to erase everything that had anything to do with Puck after that day in the hospital. Not that she wanted to. It was more along the lines of needing to in order to…function. She had to forget in order to figure out what anything was like before Puck had….She shook her head to clear the thought. Selfish. Everything she'd ever done in regards to him was selfish. Some of it blind, some of it intentional but selfish all the same.

"I…I'm sorry," she whispered. "I guess I…"

"It's fine," he said, the incident quickly forgotten. Even so, it didn't make her feel any less guilty. "How do you think we should do this? You feed I hold?" Quinn nodded slowly walking over single waffle in hand.

"Alright Bethy, hopefully this will go better than yesterday," Puck said bringing her to face forward. Bringing up a small bite of waffle torn off by her fingers, Quinn hovered over the little girl's closed mouth, an evident shake of her head at the sight as she struggled away.

"C'mon honey," she whispered. "Open nice and big. I lied. Waffles are pretty good," she smiled.

"See? Even Mommy says so," he grinned. "Open for Mom." As much as she wanted to tell him to stop, the idea of motherhood creeping up on her yet again, Quinn couldn't keep the light flutter that settled at the pit of her stomach as he addressed her. After a couple of minutes of extra hover, Beth's tiny mouth fell open, closing slowly on a tentative chew. After a minute, Quinn could feel a grin coming across her face as the baby's face lit up. "Totally my kid," he muttered, a smug smile lighting up Puck's face. After a couple of tentative bites Quinn laughed, barely able to keep up.

"Slow," she chuckled. As the plate finally cleared (Beth not really slowing down all that much) she reached with small opened and closed hands. "Sorry baby, no more," she frowned showing her empty hads. The familiar pout came across small lips before she licked her lips in anticipation. Quinn rolled her eyes just above Beth's head and sighed. "She really is your daughter."

"What's that supposed to mean? Waffles are the best thing since…"

"Watch it," she warned. "Oh and, that came before most everything," she reminded him.

"True…" he said slowly, a swell of satisfaction settling. She was back to playing along. Stupid games but playing along nonetheless. "Shall we head home, ladies?"

"Home…" Quinn muttered to herself almost as if trying to figure out where that was. Puck could see her contemplating and offered her a small smile.

"Home," he nodded.

"I…don't know if..."

"It's up to you but I think it'd be nice if you at least stopped by. Mom's been dying to see you. The house is kinda….quiet. I'm not sure but I think she misses the fighting," he smirked.

"Doubt it."

"Well, she misses you. Asked me all week when you were gonna stop by. Not exactly sure why but she asks every once and a while anyway." Quinn offered a small smile warming a bit when he admitted that she'd been missed. Strange though it was that the missing came from a woman who didn't particularly like her at first, the idea was nice. At least she was missed somewhere.

"Can we….stop by my place?" she asked quietly. "I have a couple things to take care of before I leave."

"Leave?" he asked in question. She only nodded, grimacing at the mental picture of her mom yet again passed out on the couch. She highly doubted she was missed there; her mom's only focus being the search for the bottom of another bottle of wine. She cleared her throat with a light shake of her head.

"Together right?" she asked in the quietest of whispers. "That's the only way this is going to…"

"If that's what you want," he said bouncing a bit on the inside. "We could figure something out if you don't. I wouldn't keep her from you." Even if it was offhand and in a completely different frame of mind the comment still stabbed her a bit, a subtle reminder of what got them here in the first place.

"Can't do it anymore…" she finally admitted. "I don't think she'll even….miss me," she whispered, the thought bringing a catch to her throat, even though it really shouldn't have. "Literally all she cares about anymore. I'm….scared for her," she said softly but I can't help her if she doesn't wanna be helped." It was when she met his gaze that she knew her answer, even before she spoke it. "That's not home anymore. Hasn't been for a while, if ever. That's not…not the environment I want her in…"

"It's the one she wants," he said slowly.

"Not Mom," she muttered nodding over to the small body pressed up against him.

"If that's what you want, Quinn. Open invitation."

"It's what I want," she said with a final nod of her head. "Take me home," she whispered; her voice small like that of pleading child. "Please."

"Settled then. What are we stopping at the house for?"

"I need to…at least try and tell her." Puck offered a nod and light squeeze to her shoulder. "Alright girls. We leave in 20. Then we get to tell Nana about her present," he grinned poking Beth's nose with the biggest smile on his face. Quinn couldn't remember ever seeing it so big before. It lit Puck up entirely. Then again, she hadn't exactly seen this side of him either. The side that seemed to switch on when he held his little girl.

"I guess I should start packing her up," she said. Puck only nodded almost not quite believing what had just happened. When he thought she was out of earshot, he turned to Beth.

"Well, isn't this my lucky day? Both my girls are coming home with me," he said softly nuzzling her small nose. Only halfway up the stairs, she had to strain to hear him, her eyes brimming with tears as he heard the hushed comment shared with Beth. Even after all this time he still held out some kind of hope for them, still believed. Quinn only wished she was that determined. If the last twenty four hours hand proved anything, she wasn't so sure he was far from getting what he wanted.

It didn't take much to see just how much he wanted this, how much the role of a father seemed to suit him so nicely. The tears came down harder as she remembered what happened after they left. Puck didn't take her home even though that would have been the obvious choice. He brought her over to his instead. Considering the results she wasn't going to fight him. Maybe he saw something that she still wasn't aware of, something about the unspoken that she wasn't even trying for. So, she decided to give him this much. Quinn would be lying if she said her time at the Puckerman house wasn't enjoyable. Honestly, it may have been the first time she ever truly felt welcome somewhere. Over the past few months he'd proven to be just as good a protector, though she claimed she didn't need it. The fact was, she didn't deserve it. Not after what she'd done. Hurrying up the stairs before she could bring herself to crying noticeably and risk getting caught, she gathered all of Beth's necessities and hurried to meet them.

Quinn almost couldn't move as they pulled up her driveway. Was doing this really necessary? Would her absence even be noticed if she just told him to continue driving? As much as she wanted to get it out, the idea of confronting her mom, coming out with the truth was feeding at her, her stomach twisting harshly at the idea. As they came to a stop she took hold of the door handle, knuckles going white.

"You sure you wanna do this?" he asked quietly. She nodded despite herself taking a deep breath, letting it travel her entire body before she opened the door just barely. "You want me to come with—?"

"No," she said sharply. "Someone has to stay," she said nodding to the backseat.

"We'll wait out here." She nodded again before slowly making her way up the walk. Hands clasped together, she slowly opened the door, the sharp scent of alcohol filling her senses. _So much for Mother's Day _she thought. She made quick work of packing up everything she could carry out before making her way downstairs. She didn't' have it in her to be in there longer than necessary. Staying would only make her angry. Quinn quickly swiped up the lamb that sat perched against her pillows hugging it close, clinging to it almost as desperately as Beth had to Puck. Inhaling quietly she let it settle under her nose as quiet tears came down her face. She knew Judy had no idea, didn't care that her actions had brought her this far but Quinn was past feeling trapped, left to wander like a ghost. Finally getting to the bottom of the stairs, brushing her tears along the way, she turned to face her, bags already left standing at the door.

"Mommy?" she whispered shaking her sleeping form lightly. After a few minutes, the woman startled, a sharp snarl leaving her lips at being disturbed. "Sorry to wake you," she said. "Just thought I'd let you know that I'm…leaving," she muttered, the final word catching in her throat. The surprise in her mother's face was evident, mouth wide open in some kind of counterattack but Quinn pressed on. "I can't do this anymore….All you ever do is…this," she whispered indicating to the stack of forgotten bottles. "Mother's Day….You didn't even notice I left, did you?" Judy just stared at her blankly taking another swig as she clutched the neck of the bottle between her fingers. The quiet blond was quick to take it away. "Five minutes," she pleaded. "Give me five minutes and then you can do whatever the fuck you want," she said softly. "Didn't even care that I left….Never care. It's all about the drinks. All about how long it'll be before you're next swig, your next bottle. I came back to…give you a chance, a chance at being my mom…." Quinn could feel tears gathering but did nothing to stop them. "And you can't even give me that….Whatever he did to you…It's nothing….nothing compared to….us. You've destroyed us, Mommy. I…I can't do this anymore. I have a child. I don't…I can't be here raising another. I'm done. If you're not going to try, then why should I?"

"Where the hell are you gonna go?" Judy slurred.

"Home."

"S'is home…"

"I wish it was," she said quietly, the wish digging down deep into her. A wish she knew would never really come true. "This isn't home anymore. Not since Daddy left and you know it. You know how I know? You let it go to shit. We had about three months of normal before you turned to the bottle. After that…After that it was never the same. I can't keep up…I can't compete with booze and not gonna try. To some people, their daughter comes first. She's a priority over anything else in this world. You strive to want the very best for her….I…I guess you start naming them now. Momma this….this toxin? That's your daughter. That's the daughter you want, then that's the daughter you get. I'm done fighting this. I'm done being a ghost in my own home. I love my mom. I'll always love her no matter how….But this? This isn't her. I've looked for months and months and still she hasn't shown. I'm so tired. I'm so tired of you choosing this…." Quinn said angrily shoving the first available bottle at the wall. "….over me! I'm sick and fucking tired of being nothing to you!" Quinn hissed as a piece of shattered glass came across her skin, blood trickling quietly onto the carpet. She would have cleaned it up but decided against it. The house was already piled high with trash, it's walls silent witnesses to the mess it had really become.

"The only home you have!" Judy laughed. Quinn could shake her head.

"You wanna know where I was last night? I went to see Beth. Puck took me to see my baby, helped me remember that…Mother's Day isn't all about expensive breakfasts or spa days or…dinners. It's about who you're with. Who you're willing to actually remember you have rather than the things you don't. You're not the only one who lost Dad. The day he walked out on you, he walked out on me. In fact, I lost him long before you did so don't go giving me excuses about how hurt and broken you are. The wine seems to be putting you together really nicely. I be damned if I do that to Beth. I still have Beth and I'm not about to lose her by trapping myself in pain and misery for the rest of my life. I may have lost everything I ever cared about, ever loved but at least I still have her. The one thing I've ever done right in my life. Beth. Beth and Puck. They're my family now. They are my priority. So go ahead, Judy. Drown your sorrows, swim in your pain. I won't be around to stop you."

With that, she gathered her bags pressing her bleeding hand against the shirt she hadn't taken off from the night before to stop the bleeding and closed the door firmly behind her. She stood there for a minute considering all she was really leaving behind. The guilt that flooded her not hours before was suddenly washed over with a sense of relief. Turning to face the truck, she sighed, every muscle in her body loosening for what felt like the first time in her life. Puck met her at the passenger side door hoisting up what she'd packed before noticing the crimson red dripping from her hand.

"I threw a bottle," she mumbled brushing quickly at her moistened eyes.

"Are you….?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Do you wanna….?"

"No. Not…yet," she said. He just nodded inspecting the cut for himself before offering her a spare t-shirt from the backseat, pressing it gently to the open wound.

"Press hard. It'll clot faster." Quinn nodded already knowing well enough herself but accepting the advice anyway. She smiled as the passenger door came opened, Puck helping her into her seat. "Any last stops?" he asked revving the engine.

"Home. Please."

"Home it is," he said pulling out of the driveway, the pristine structure growing smaller and smaller with each turn of the wheel.

**A/N: Gosh, I don't even know how long it's been since I've touched this story. No worries, it's far from over. I'll be sure to keep updates more frequent. Questions? Comments? Always welcome :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Finally, the inspiration is back! Sorry this took so freaking long. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.**

Quinn's not even sure exactly how much time has lapsed since they pulled out of her driveway. The perfect castle structure she once called home standing tall as it grows smaller and smaller behind them. Looking back on it now, she wonders just how many secrets these four walls kept over the years. Though she was only six, Quinn was quick to figure out that her family was far from normal. The constant fighting, the first threatened divorce after her dad came home from a week long "business trip". It wasn't until she was ten that she finally saw it with her own two eyes.

_With the moon shining through her window, the milky white quivering across the calm quiet lake behind her home, the shattering of glass ripped her from sleep. Quinn pulls the blankets in closer to her shaking body, the long line of small pageant trophies bouncing on her dresser, their fear, her fear protected by the shadows of night._

"_Not again," she whispers. She's not sure how much time has passed since the yelling started or just how long they've been going at it while she was still asleep. All she knows is that it never ends well. She's asked herself a dozen times why they just can't be happy, why Daddy needs to break things or drink to be happy. The most recent question she had, the most pressing, was who that tall lady always dressed in tight black suits was. She looked nice enough. She'd even played dolls with her a couple of times. But she wasn't her mom. Quinn didn't even know her name. Maybe she'd shared it once or twice but Quinn didn't care to remember._

_As she quietly slid out of bed, the little girl could feel herself trembling even more. She wondered if it was more from the sudden chill or the all too familiar fear. She quickly decides it's a mix of the two. Making sure to stay quiet enough to go unheard, she takes the stairs one at a time, gripping to the banister so tight she can see her knuckles turning white, her mother's shrill, almost sickening laugh echoing through the three story home._

"_WHAT DOES SHE HAVE THAT I DON'T HAVE?" Judy bellows. "I mean, besides the obvious. More money? Nicer hair? Better in bed? What? What does this little bitch say to you every single time you don't come home from work? What kind of sick promises does she make you that make it so hard for you to come home to your FAMILY?" As many times as she's seen this, Quinn still can't take her eyes off the scene playing out in front of her. "Spit it out, Russell," she hears her mom swallow over what she knew to be a swig of alcohol. "How much is that little tramp paying you to fuck?"_

"_Not near enough," her father said gruffly. He muttered it so quietly Quinn had to strain to hear. She had no idea what half of those words meant. All she knew was they were bad. Really bad. Swallowing a growing lump in her throat she can't fight the quiet tears pouring down her face. She suddenly hated that mysterious woman. At only ten, even if she can't quite piece it all together, she knows the woman has a hand in making everyone she cares about hurt._

_Fighting the urge to scream she sees the bottle Judy has in a death grip at the neck fly across the room, red wine staining the pristine white walls. Instead, the tears came faster, stronger while she somehow managed to contain the scream that's begging release. At only ten, Quinn Fabray knows it was only a matter of time before her fairytale is torn to shreds._

Quinn can't help but hiss as a light pressure to her wrapped cut was applied. Feeling salt settle on her tongue as she bites down on it, she hasn't even realized she'd been crying until she hears Puck mumble quietly. She's still too far out to make coherency of it but she can see his lips forming all too familiar words. With a quiet nod she quietly pulls away from the safety of his hold, words still not shapeable as she sees the blood of her childhood slip down the wall.

"Quinn…" Puck can see her eyes glazed over, her vision directed up front. He knows almost immediately where her head has gone and that those eyes might as well be blind to the road ahead. Only a pinch of hurt flies through him as she pulls away from him, growing slowly as she throws off her seatbelt curling into fetal. Wide eyed, he quickly pulls over away from oncoming traffic. Daring to take a hold of her shoulder, he makes sure that Beth is still asleep in the backseat or at least calm before directing his focus to her. It takes only a second for her to throw his hand off, shrinking back even further. Satisfied for the moment that Beth has not been disturbed by any of this (yet), he cuts the engine. For a moment he only watches, Quinn seeming to grow smaller and smaller into her seat.

_She barely ambles back into bed before large footsteps are heard. The shadow of a giant hovers for no more than a second but she can still feel herself shaking. He'll throw the blanket off again, just to see if she's asleep or come in, rummage around and walk back out. Tonight she hopes for the latter, her pillow soaked and cheeks raw with fresh tears. Almost as if on cue, the lights are flipped burning her already tender eyes. Quinn tries to brush off an excessive evidence of crying but the red in her eyes and pale cheeks she knows will give her away in only seconds._

"_How old are you now, sweetheart?"_

"_T-ten D-daddy," she stammers. Almost as quickly as it slips from her lips, Quinn regrets speaking, even though she knows that if she kept silent it would just be worse. The white of his eyes are almost drowning the icy blue of his irises. The answer she provided only seems to make him angrier, an undeniable pressure brought to her fragile wrist._

"_That's right," he whispers, his lips quirking in a way that makes the little girl shiver. "And what does that mean?"_

"_That I-I'm a big girl n-now…" she whispered, the tone in her father's voice making her choke on tears she dare not let slip. She tries to reason that he was only like this after he'd had a drink or two. It was true. The poison did something to him, took him away. Drinking makes him a monster. The difference is that it's a habit, a daily occurrence that's made her stop asking where her daddy really is. He certainly isn't this monster, overtaken by these poisons._

"_That's right. And what do big girls never do?"_

"_Cry," she whispers meekly, the pressure in his grasp letting off a quiet snap. She'd have to sneak into the nurse's office and wrap it in the morning. Watching her hand fall limp in her lap, Russell trudges back out, lights plunging her into darkness once more, the sudden slam of her door making her squeak as she startles._

Puck watches her take her hand cradling it carefully with the other, her elbow fighting to open the car door. The struggle lasted for a minute before he gently took her hand, a shrill cry bubbling to her lips.

"Quinn…Quinn," he said a bit louder this time, the shock evident in her widened eyes.

"I'll be good…" she mutters. "I promise I'll be…Please don't...Big girl…"

"Q, it's me," Puck offers in a whisper, the last part of her plea making him wonder just where exactly she is in that pretty head of hers. Watching her release her hand, he sees it fall completely limp, his brow knit in curiosity. "It's Puck," he murmured.

_Little fucker._

Before he can get another word out, Quinn has bolted, the rain coming down in sudden sheets as she runs far ahead of the truck. A quick glance into the rear view mirror reminds him he can't just up and run anymore. Gunning the engine, he makes sure to stay hot on her tail, watching her figure become a shadow behind the curtains of ice.

Quinn doesn't even know where exactly she's headed. All she knows is she had to get away. She has to stop being such a blaring disappointment. Her dad had told her never to cry. Bite her tongue until it bled but never was she allowed to cry. Crying was weakness. Crying was for the ugly. Quinn Fabray is a princess. The most pretty of all princesses. Daddy told her that there were times she even made Sleeping Beauty look bad. A few years ago, she would have smiled at the thought. Now the idea just brings more tears. The faster they fell, the harder she runs, her heart racing, breath coming in shallow spurts as the rain soaks her. She not sure how long she'd been running for but there's a car hot on her tail. _Daddy's come back for more. He always comes back_. If it's at all possible Quinn finds herself running so fast she's almost taken flight, her feet knotting under her as she counts the seconds to her face meeting the pavement. The crash is in perfect sync with a crash she hears overhead. The scream she lets out is so shallow she wonders if she's being heard at all. It's raining too hard for anyone to save her. They won't even know she's gone. They never know she's gone.

It doesn't take her long to realize she's bleeding. How deep the cut has gone she isn't sure but there's more salt. _He's coming…He always comes… _Gathering enough strength, she drags herself a bit further, as far away from the lights as possible. She knows it won't be far but it's better than staying in one and letting him treat her like a punching bag. Again. There's a second crack of thunder as she starts to collect herself. Before she's even upright, she falls back on her haunches, a dark crimson meeting her eyes. Brushing the all too familiar salt-rain combination from her face, a shade of pink has coated her fingers. The awareness brings a sting to her face. She's bleeding. There's blood and it's the stab of a thousand knives. A third crack shatters her entirely; moisture she knows isn't rain soaking her further.

"I'm sorry…" she chokes, the lights finally coming to a stop revealing a tall figure. He's coming closer and she can't help but slide back on the sidewalk to put that much more of a distance between them. "Big girl…Big girl." The figure nods, a small smile coming to his lips.

"I know," he says.

"I'm sorry," she whispers once more. Once he finds out what she's done Quinn knows she's in for it. Big girls don't have accidents. Big girls aren't supposed to wet themselves. Being scared is no excuse. "Please no…I'll do better, Daddy…"

"Quinn?" Puck says only loudly enough to be heard over the sheets of rain. Puck is careful not to touch her too much but if he's going to get her attention he has to pull her out somehow. "Quinn, it's okay. It's Puck. Just Puck." Quinn can feel herself fighting his hold but one bad arm makes it inevitable that she's not going to be very successful. "Just me," he murmurs keeping a firm but gentle hold on her good arm.

"I'll be good…"

"I know," he repeats tenderly. He has no idea where she's gone off to but she's more checked out than he's ever seen her. The best he can do for the moment is play along until she's out. Averting his eyes quickly Puck makes sure that Beth is still securely in the backseat, the only evidence he has being her small head of dark hair that he can just make out through the window. He's not sure if it's a brush of luck but the fact that his daughter hasn't woken yet is some kind miracle. It's a miracle he's grateful for seeing as he can't exactly offer enough attention to more than just one person at the moment.

"Don't be mad…"

"I'm not mad," he says softly. He notices Quinn shake her head and urges to ask her why but she carries on.

"I…"

"You what?" he coaxes quietly.

"…was an accident." Puck wordlessly nods pulling her carefully toward him. The rain has made his smell all the more potent and Quinn suddenly realizes who had her in their hold. It may have helped that they were worlds gentler than her father had ever been but for a while she was too far gone to notice anything other than the rain, its thunder and the embarrassment she's made of herself. Quinn doesn't even have enough time to realize what she's doing. This whole thing has been a blur all its own. All she knows is that she's curled up in the single safest place she's ever been. "Please don't let him hurt me," she pleads. Puck is quick to put two and two together, rational anger tabled as he lets her cling to him, so tight it's almost as though her life depends on it, which technically, it does.

"Shhh…He won't touch you," he promises. "Won't lay a finger on you," he whispers placing the most gentle of kisses to her forehead.

"Blood," Quinn sputters. "So much blood…." It isn't until now that he realizes what she's talking about, or at least has a pretty decent guess. His borrowed boxers have done nothing to shield the gashes the sidewalk left on her skin.

"We'll take care of it," he says clearing up as much of it as he can before hoisting her off the ground.

"On the walls…" she mumbles. "So much blood. Always blood."

"Whose blood?" he asks, his question more careful now that she's closer and he can be heard much easier. He gets no answer, Quinn's grip on him only intensified. "Easy Q, it's okay." Quinn can't help but shake her head. Nothing's okay. Not anymore. Nothing's been okay for so long.

"…was an accident," she repeats. Holding her close, Puck expertly opens the passenger side door slipping Quinn carefully inside. It's warmer in here but not so much. The only difference is the rain has stopped. The salt still courses her face and she's still soaked to the bone but she's not being pelted on anymore. Quinn gasps when she realizes that her stupidity will stink up his car, a blush shooting up her neck. "I'm sorry," she chokes trying to sit on her hands as she figures it's the best way to lessen the stench her urine will leave in the cloth of the seat. Puck gently pulls them out flat and smiles at her softly. "Didn't mean to…Thunder…Yelling…Please don't be mad."

"Nothing a little Fiberize can't fix," he reassures quietly, the smell finally traveling to his nose. "Let's get you home," he mumbles threading through her rain drenched hair. Quinn has to fight the urge to flinch again, his sudden touch almost too much. But this is Puck. Puck would never even dream of hurting her.

"My arm…"

"We'll take a look at that too. After a nice warm bath," he whispers. Even though he knows it's just her hand, the faster he agrees, the sooner he can keep her from going into some kind of shock. As soon as Puck closes the door he can see Quinn returning to her familiar use of fetal position growing even smaller than how he found her out in the rain. With a quiet sigh, he closes the door jogging as quickly as he can to the other side. He's barely in behind the wheel before Quinn's taken a hold of his hand. Puck can still see she's glazed over but at least she hasn't lost it since realizing it was him who came and got her.

"Luckily we're not too far off," he says, quickly realizing it's more for him than her. "Can I hand Beth off too Mom really quick before I come and get you into the house?" Puck can see her eyes go wide, a frantic shake of her head.

"Don't leave…"

"I'm not leaving, Q just making sure the baby's inside before I take you up the stairs."

"He'll come…He always comes…" Taking a quick minute to think he decides he'll just call his mom from the driveway. Any questions or bitching she might have for him will just have to wait a bit.

"Not leaving," he says carefully. He can see her nod but again, her eyes are somewhere else. For a minute he wonders what the hell she actually saw but then realizes it's really no use given her current silence. "I'll just have Mom come get her." Another nod, eyes still dead. He sighs again averting his eyes to the backseat. If Puck was the only one allowed to touch her, he could only imagine the fight his mom's about to have as she takes her inside. "Just two minutes," he whispers "Two minutes and then you can need me all you want." Taking a deep breath Puck pulls carefully into his driveway. Using one hand to dial and call, he almost hopes it's his sister and not his mom who picks up. Thankfully he gets his wish, cutting off her rambling before she can even start. "Beth's in the backseat and Quinn won't let me leave the car. I'll explain it all when I get inside." He hangs up before his sister can pull in another argument. Only a minute after ending the call, his flustered sister comes out, walking slowly towards the truck.

"What the—?"

"Just take the baby and get inside fast, before she freaks out."

"But what—?"

"No time for questions right now, "

"You're in trouble…"

"Inside. Now."

"Mom! Noah's home with—"

"Shut it," Puck says behind clenched teeth. "Ten bucks to keep your trap shut until I've given Quinn a bath."

"But Quinn can…"

"Argue with me right now and I'll kick your ass instead."

"Fine."

"Run. She's gonna flip in about a minute. Move fast." Becca only rolled her eyes and nodded. "I'm gonna ignore the fact that you rolled your eyes at me right now because Quinn's a few seconds from hypo whatever it is and I'm already freaking out enough. Straight to my room, grab all the pillows you've got. I have an old shirt somewhere on the floor. Put it like right next to her." She nodded quickly, a quiet whimper tearing through Puck as Beth became all too aware of where she was. "You've got a minute before she starts screaming."

"If Mom were here right now…"

"Lucky for us she's not," he said. "MOVE!" Becca scurries up the stairs, Beth's cries becoming louder with every stride. Fast on her heels, Puck slipped out of his shoes taking the stairs to at a time to their small bathroom at the end of the hall. Turning the tap, he saw her jump about a foot shrinking in against herself. "Sorry," he said quietly. "It's just the tub…Do you want help?" he asks nodding towards her after he's stripped his own wet clothes, already ready to help her do the same. Puck can barely see the nod allowing him to quickly but gently peel his shirt off of her. It doesn't take long for six layers of goose bumps to present themselves making it all the more important that she get warmed quickly. As he takes hold of her waistband, Quinn's scream echoes through the bathroom.

"Shh…I won't touch anything. Going up, okay?" he says lifting her gently off the floor. Carefully placing her inside, he can feel his stomach fall to his feet as Quinn lets a set of sobs wrack her already fragile frame. He knows it's not even that hot but the contrast makes the burn all the more painful. "It's okay," he whispers, the blood caked on her knees making his stomach turn. "You wanna just sit for a minute?"

"Hurts," she offers weakly. Puck only nods. "Everything hurts."

"I know, baby." It's half a lie really because he doesn't know what she means by "everything". Hurt yeah that's clearly evident. How much? Well that's all up to her. "But we're gonna fix it, okay?" Quinn blindly nods. "Can we start?" Again a nod, this one with a hint of hesitation. "I'll be careful." Regardless of the fact that he wants to tear Russell's head off with his own two hands, the calm remains. For her.

"So much blood…" The frailness in Quinn's usually confident voice makes his own boil with a rage he's trying so hard to keep to himself.

"Head back," he says gently. The water cascading down her back burns but not near as much as before. This is a comfortable burn. A burn that'll keep her warm. At least that's what she hopes. As the blood slowly washes away, Puck realizes just how many cuts she's really sustained. She's stopped the screaming but the pierce of her lip tells him it hurts hard enough to do so if she let herself. He always knew her to be one of the strongest girls he'd ever met but time and time again she surprised him. The pink of the water widens her eyes even more.

"So…much…" Puck nods in agreement, his stomach turning at the sight of so much of it. "….was bad," she muttered. "…always bad."

"It's okay," he repeats. "We'll fix it." Quinn only shook her head. There was no fixing this. Not even Puck, strong and determined and so set on making everything okay could do anything about this. This one was on her. It was all on her that her father broke almost every bone in her body, though he was smart enough never to do it all at one time. It was her fault he left making her mom turn to the bottle. She couldn't even keep her own baby safe. That one cut deeper than anything else ever would.

"Beth!" she said hastily, eyes whirling wildly across the room.

"She's fine. Becca's got her. Think she's still asleep." For a minute Quinn feels selfish. What she's been through is no comparison to what's been done to her daughter. Somewhere in her rationale she knows the little girl's separation anxiety could kick in at any second yet she can't find it in her to let him leave her.

"Don't go," she pleads, her voice no more than a whisper hand gripping to his defined forearm.

"Not until we're done here," he promises. She almost wants to clarify that she meant never but nods in agreement. She can't find the strength let alone the words to say much of anything at the moment. Quinn isn't even sure how long she's been in there but the formally hot water is growing cold. As if he's read her mind, the water is already beginning to drain. With the exception of a small puddle, the water's already gone leaving Quinn in the empty tub. "You want help or you wanna do it yourself?" Quinn hasn't moved in ten seconds, back to shivering giving Puck a clear enough indication. "Going up," he warns letting her wrap completely around him. Reaching for the first available towel, he wraps it tightly around her.

Leaving her to sit quietly on his bed, unmade from the night before, Puck quickly grabs the first dry outfit he can find and dresses in them. He really doesn't care that it's come off the floor. At the moment, he's pretty sure Quinn won't either. He quickly finds the First Aid kit he leaves in a drawer in his nightstand. He almost laughs at how much use he gets out of it. The quiet hisses he gets as he gently applies a small bit of Neosporin to all of her cuts makes him a little uneasy but Puck makes sure to apply to every cut before he lets himself be done. As soon as he's covered her he pulls the warmest sweater he's got from his closet, pairing it with his only pair of sweat pants. "They probably won't fit too well but all you're stuff's still in the truck." If Quinn weren't so beat up and bruised Puck would take the opportunity to make a comment about how much better it looked on her than him. As it stands, she's so shrunken and small at the moment Puck's almost scared one word will make her disappear. She nods sliding over to the top of the bed to snake in between the covers. "Can I go check on Beth for a minute?" he whispers. She's literally in the same room but diverting his attention without some kind of permission would probably end badly. A barely noticeable nod gives him the okay as he brushes her forehead quickly.

Reaching over he takes the little girl to him, her awareness of him made apparently as she burrows so far into him he almost worries that she's going to let herself stop breathing. Running his fingers gently through her hair, he smiles. This is the most calm she's been all day, the novelty of it a bit alarming. A quiet sigh as she relaxes all her tiny tense muscles produces a sigh of his own.

"Hi baby..." he whispers, a callused thumb going over her cheek. Puck's still surprised at how much an effect just holding her has on his mood. "You and your mama puttin' me through the wringer," he chuckled. "Is this some dad certification course or something? 'Cause if it is, I'm wondering how well I'm doing. You're gonna tell me if I suck, right? 'Cause I uhh…I haven't done this before. I might be really bad at it," he sighs. The subconscious squeeze of his collar she takes is enough to make him smile a little. "You both have so much faith…" he muttered, his fear of letting either of them down amplified even further. "I'm gonna try really hard. Promise. Gonna try so hard to be the dad you deserve. I'm not guaranteeing I'll be great at it but you're home. This is where you're supposed to be. With me and your mom." The slight squeeze of his arm and the hint of a smile from Quinn gave him all the reassurance he needed. At least for the moment. "You know what's gonna be really fun? Telling Nana. I might be in really big trouble tonight…You're gonna back me up though, right? Puckermans stand together against the bad guys. Not that Nana's bad just…really hard to….You know what? Nevermind. The minute she sees you she probably won't even be that mad at me. Just go ahead and give her that smile and she's a goner," he chuckled.

A quiet knock averted his eyes away from Beth briefly, Becca's somewhat suspicious smile the first thing he saw. Expecting some kind of smartass retort, she just sat next to him, not at all concerned with Puck but the baby he held. He held his breath as her finger ran through her hair, only the slightest flinch any notification of discomfort.

"Do my homework for a month and I'll back you up at dinner," she reasoned.

"What the hell?"

"Mom's gonna rip you apart at the table. Baby can't talk, your girlfriend is like mute or something—"

"Watch it!" he snapped.

"…so all you've got is me. Even if blonde can't talk, won't talk, whatever, she's in no place to fight Mom for you. All you've got is me. Even though she practically disowned you after you got her knocked up—"

"Shut the fuck up," he mumbled. "I did not—"

"Right and this baby fell out of the sky. I'm not five. I know where babies come from, Noah. You made a baby and then you gave her up. Blonde here made a decent choice. Well, anything after deciding to have your baby is a decent choice really—"

"Is there a point to trashing my sex life?"

"I was getting to that. I'll cover your butt and stuff and not tell Mom you swore for a small price."

"What do you want?"

"Math homework. Three months."

"Done."

"Oh and we just started fractions. Enjoy that," she smirked. Puck sighs. It's a small price to pay for the end result, even if Becca's been and still is a constant pain in his ass. If doing the brat's homework for a whole year would get his mom to agree to new living arrangements, he'd have no choice but to do it. He doesn't and he fucking sucks at math but for the sake of his family, he's got to man up.

"Maybe when your older, you'll be the one helping Auntie with her homework," he laughs, silently praying the little girl's got her mother's academic smarts. Out of the corner of his eye, Puck can see Quinn's begin to fall closed, her small body so alarmingly pale against his darker sheets. "Don't you dare get sick on me, Fabray," he mumbles. The slight tug she has on his hand brings the smallest smile to his lips. "Can't get enough?" he teases. The vulnerability in her eyes shuts him up fast. Putting Beth on his chest, her small body already accommodating her new placement, he gently pulls Quinn closer, the blond taking a desperate hold of her own to his new change of clothes.

"Don't go…"

"I'm right here, Q," he whispers kissing her hair. "Right here…" Despite the circumstances, there were only two things that ever made this place feel like home anymore. After so long they were right back here, exactly where they belonged. He still hadn't figured out what the hell Quinn had seen on the way over, or what exactly Shelby had done to Beth. All he needed to know in that very second was that they were safe. His girls were safe and hell or high water he'd make damn sure they stayed that way.

**A/N: Questions? Comments? Gripes? Complaints? Go for it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Please don't shoot me…I've sat with this story forever trying to find a good way to kick start it again. I promise the updates won't take that long from here on out. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it…If I did…Well we can all guess what **_**wouldn't **_**have happened.**

Despite how long the previous night had been, Puck couldn't so much as let his own eyes close. Instead, he found himself simply laying there, his little girl curled up tightly right up against his heart. Allowing his head to pivot only a fraction, soft blond hair is still splayed across his arm and pillow. A decent hour had passed since his arrival, the first of their activities as a small family not exactly what Puck had in mind.

As much as his body demanded sleep, he couldn't find it in him to close his eyes. Perhaps still resting on the belief that all of what had happened was some kind of dream. Quick to shake those thoughts, he started again. No dream involved his little girl, not even a year old, having been abused by a woman he thought he could trust. Thinking back, Puck wasn't sure he trusted the woman at all. But Quinn had and at the time, that had to be enough for him. Despite their constant bickering, Puck always found a way to trust the blonde's judgment; even when said judgment extended to him and his less than stellar behavior.

Puck's attitude had been the main reason, or really a great deal of the reason they had faced the problem at all. If he had enough brains to wrap it up, or to not have sex, period, neither of them would be in this position at all. But they were, and as much as he lay awake at night in constant battle with his lack of morals, there was no changing what was already done. It wasn't that he regretted being with Quinn or the result of his lack of intelligence for all of two minutes but if he had simply been smarter about the whole thing, he wouldn't be clutching his two beaten girls.

Starting small circles on the side of her head, he sighed. What had she seen out there? The bravest woman he knew couldn't be afraid of a storm. Their entire relationship (or whatever the hell they were) had been a fucking tornado. Quinn, from what he saw seemed to make it out almost unscathed, minus the spider web of confusion that was Beth's short life and all that came along with it. He knew enough to know that it had something to do with her father, a man Puck personally wanted to see six feet underground. He'd even go so far as to do all the work himself. Behead the bastard and dig the godforsaken hole his sorry body would rest in.

Watching her now, Puck couldn't help but marvel at how peaceful she looked as she slept. At least...peaceful to any other set of eyes besides his own. Upon closer look he could see the slight traces of fear in her delicate features, facial muscles tense as she kept herself as close to him as she possibly could. _Blood. Always blood._ What the hell did that even mean? Given how small she sounded earlier, and probably still felt, it couldn't actually be literal...Right? Even as insane as he knew the Fabrays were, none of them were tied to bloodshed and murder. Then again, Quinn's family had always leaned on the wackier side of the scale than most families.

"What'd you see, pretty girl?" he whispered to her as she slept, the possibilities still turning in his head. Even if she ever answered his question (which he doubted would come for a while), he knew that this was where they had to stay. Sure they hadn't figured out the legal three ring circus for Beth yet but there was no way Puck would just sit there while someone took her from them a second time when there should not have even been a first. "Nobody's going anywhere," he promised running a hand lightly along the little girl's back who quietly began to stir. He wasn't sure if it was a quiet confidence for them or himself.

Taken completely from his own thoughts, Beth began to squirm, a soft whimper falling from her mouth. Carefully shifting Quinn over to his pillow as he stood, he ran his free hand over her face. Watching the curtain of her eyes rise slowly, he wondered how fear had replaced her calm so quickly.

"I didn't want her to wake you," he whispered. "Was gonna get her changed real quick and then come right back," he explained. Even as she hadn't said a word, she understood every one, her eyes pleading with him to stay. "Wanna try and sleep and I'll be right back?" he asked cautiously. Even before he asked it, Puck was sure what her answer would be. He shuffled back as she rose letting her legs swing along the side of the bed. A small smile played across his lips as frantic eyes took in her hand and all the other injuries left by the storm. "All fixed," he said hoping that was enough to settle her. Quinn flashed him a weak smile in thanks as she stood taking in all the doctoring Puck had done. "You're welcome," he said quietly. As if all too aware of the tension that faced them now, Beth only whimpered for acknowledgement. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Puck smiled making his way down the stairs, Quinn hot on his heels.

As the three of them descended, Quinn sighed with relief, the house seeming to fall as silent as she somehow needed it to be. No yelling, no glass, and best of all, no blood. The mere thought of it all made her shudder. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Puck's sister watching a DVD, the volume low enough to keep Quinn from jumping out of her skin.

"Your homework done?" she heard Puck ask. All they got was a glare and nod, her head suddenly frozen as Quinn felt the little girl's eyes on her. Puck scowled and flicked her lightly over the head. "Mind your own business," he said evenly.

"What's with the ghost?" she mumbled ignoring her brother's request. Puck returned her question with a glare as he felt Quinn rest a hand at his waist. Brushing his arm, she mutely allowed him to provide Becca with some kind of answer while still hiding self-consciously beside him.

"She's sick," he said simply hoping that the kid would be smart enough to drop it. Of course, Puck was never that lucky. Not when it concerned a nosy eight year old.

"What the heck did you do to her? I mean besides have sex with her." Puck glowered at her, remembering to keep any sudden sounds and movements to a minimal.

"I didn't do squat!" he said. "Not that it's any of your business. Back off."

"Don't ya think it'd be good if I had some clue if I'm gonna help cover for you when Mom gets home? She's gonna wanna know why Quinn can't talk." He took a deep breath to settle his nerves, his sister not helping at all with how frazzled they already were with all that had gone on in the last twenty-four hours. "I mean...her eyes look dead and everything." Well, she was observant. Puck had to give her that much.

"It's complicated," he said simply.

"Calculus is complicated," she said flatly. "Just say it. I'm not dumb, I know something's up. She's been weird since she got here."

"Becca, you're eight." Quinn nudged him lightly. If he didn't give her some kind of satisfaction, they'd be standing here till his mom walked in the door, likely making more a mess of things than they already were.

"And?"

"She spooked," he said simply. "Somethin' scared her on the way over. She should be good in a little bit. Lay off," he warned. Offering a shrug, still as confused as before, Becca turned back to the TV. "Keep it down," he called. "Where'd you put her stuff?"

"Kitchen," she said. Puck heard the living room go silent as Becca padded into the room. "What the heck's going on?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I just freakin' told you," he said shuffling through to find a clean diaper. Once he found it, Puck turned to face her, his sister's face still questioning.

"Not that. How'd you end up with the baby and…her?" she asked, Quinn's acknowledgement coming out slower and somehow much quieter. Upon closer inspection, the older girl _did _look scared. Terrified even. Quinn turned to her then, flashing her the lightest thank you with her eyes that she was sure the little girl missed. "Someone tell me what's going on so I can cover for you without looking like an idiot. Noah's already stupid enough for both of us," she muttered receiving a glare from her brother.

"Shelby screwed up," he said simply.

"So did you," she pointed out.

"Yeah but I'm not in jail, am I?" Becca simply blinked as she followed them back into the living room where he laid Beth on the couch, unbuttoning her onsie slowly so as not to scare her. As a breeze blew past her delicate skin, the little girl flinched, her bottom lip beginning to quiver. "Shh, I won't touch," he promised, slow with every movement to keep Beth from being as upset as possible.

"Won't touch what?" she wondered, her brow knit in confusion. "Aren't babies supposed to be used to...?" Her sentence trailed as she took in the small gashes and bruises against her niece's skin. "What the hell?" she muttered. Puck nodded, too concentrated on his movements to tell his sister to mind her tongue.

"Shelby screwed up," he growled, slightly surprised as Quinn slid in to take the little girl's hand around her finger.

"You mean she...?"

"Yep," he mumbled, his body going rigid.

"But I thought..."

"So did we," he said. Beth took a seat on the couch across from them trying to make sense of what she'd just seen. Sure her brother had been the biggest idiot of them all, his only shining moment, the one where they'd put Beth up for adoption but this was a baby. A small, defenseless little human being. Becca could feel tears prick the corners of her eyes as she watched them do everything they could to shield the little girl from her obvious fears.

"What are you gonna tell Mom?" she asked quietly, still trying to process what all she'd seen.

"The truth," Puck said. "We trusted her and she fucked up." Ignoring the fact that he just swore, his sister shook her head.

"But what does that mean? You can't just...You gave her up for a reason."

"Yeah and clearly that was a very stupid reason," he muttered, eyeing Quinn next to him as she silently brushed across her daughter's checkered skin.

"So you just...get her back?" she asked.

"Well no. There's still all the legal crap. Taking care of that tomorrow. But there's no way she's going anywhere," he said firmly. "Made that mistake once."

"But you don't have a choice," Becca said quietly, wising up considerably now.

"Like hell we don't," he growled, squeezing Quinn's hand as she saw her startle. "Just gotta talk to Ma when she gets home. She'll help make sense of this shitfest." His sister nodded, deciding that now was not the time to call him out on his swearing.

"I just...Why?" she whispered brushing quietly under her eyes.

"Some people aren't meant to be parents," Puck said honestly. "Think it's too hard. They don't know how to make sacrifices," he added kissing his daughter's forehead as she watched her mother in silence.

"But that's the point of..."

"Trust me, I know," he said. He wasn't sure if it was the need to keep things as calm as possible for Quinn and Beth or the severity of the situation, which he had to applaud his kid sister for taking all of this as well as she was, but Puck had no edge in his tone, simply choosing to drown in disappointment. In himself; in the woman who had betrayed them all. "So much for Mother's Day," he sighed wrapping both his larger arms around his daughter's tiny frame, Quinn's hand now coming to rest at his leg. Even in all her fog, she knew how important it was that he keep her close, that Beth knew she was safe. She would find another way to keep him just as close, another body part to touch just to keep herself sane.

"Mother's Day?" his sister asked.

"Quinn called and we talked. She was..." Puck now turned to the woman in question, somehow asking if he could continue the explanation. She nodded pressing herself closer to him. "She called me in the morning and well, we all knew what day it was. So I thought I'd take her to..." He couldn't say the woman's name without wanting to scream opting to leave it out as he continued. "Met Beth for the first time since giving her up. I went to see her a few times and I thought it would help." Why he was telling his kid sister this, Puck had no idea but he pressed on, somehow believing that if someone else knew, the less he'd have to say at dinner later. "Got Beth to say her name," he smiled, nuzzling Beth's hair in quiet praise. "Wasn't much but it worked for her. Reminded her that even though she wasn't home, the day still meant something. And then we just..." Puck's next words brought his eyes to a close as he took another deep breath. "Shelby was just...mean. At first we thought it was just because we were there or that Quinn was closing in on her territory or something. Wouldn't talk to her right. Did everything she could to keep her from us. Since I had been there before, Beth knew who I was, even more confused when she took her away from me for stupid reasons. One thing led to another and we got into this fight about legal crap and Shelby's yelling just made it worse."

"Eventually she had to go out to her studio for something and after some more arguing left Beth with us. Comes home, rushes us out of the house. I knew something was up the minute she came back but I ignored it thinking it was just me being protective and all that. So we left. A little while later we get a call from a friend that says Beth hadn't stopped crying since we left." Puck could feel himself growing angry again, a fire building at the pit of his stomach as he clutched the little girl closer. "I guess she had gone to a bar and left her there. With a complete stranger. Just...leaves her. So anyway, she calls us over, telling us we better hurry, that Beth can't settle. I get there and she's scared out of her mind, almost blue in the face from cyin' so hard. Minute she sees me she won't let go." Puck quietly brushes a hand over his daughter's calmed face kissing her forehead before he continued.

"Few minutes later she comes in completely drunk and tears Beth away from me, just as I've calmed her down enough to stop crying. 'Course she starts up again, scared out of her mind. I can smell her breath from like ten feet away, watching her every move as I try and get her back. Which I don't until the cops show up and drag her off." Becca is uncharacteristically silent as she listens, absorbing as much as she can of the story.

"I don't...I don't get it," she whispered brushing at her eyes.

"What's not to get?" Puck asked screwing up his eyes.

"No I mean...Why?"

"Hell if I know," he whispers, his voice catching. "What I _do _know is she's not going anywhere."

"You said that already," Becca pointed out, her sharp comment somehow much quieter now.

"Because I mean it. She belongs here...at home. Be damned if she goes through the..." Puck stops then, not daring to continue.

"So what do we tell her?"

"You don't tell her squat," he said.

"How am I supposed to...?"

"Just keep her from yelling at me," he said, the job more than enough for his sister to keep her hands full. "They're too scared to deal with yelling." She nodded, still not entirely sure what Quinn had to do with the yelling thing but agreeing for the sake of the topic in question.

"So you're gonna..."

"I have to, Bex." Again, the girl nods silently. As if on cue, a car they know as their mother's pulls into the driveway. Puck can feel Quinn's grip on him tighten a little as the door unlocks, her eyes shifting nervously. "It's just Mom," he whispered. He doesn't feel her relax until Mrs. Puckerman shows her face, a smile coming across it at the sight of Quinn.

"Oh Quinn what a lovely..." She stops then noticing an extra body in the room, her heart swelling for a moment before she's once again clouded with confusion. "Noah..."

"Ma, just lemme..."

"Don't tell me you took your...Noah I know how you...But..."

"What? No! I didn't steal my own kid," he supplied, the statement sounding somewhat bizarre to him even as he said it.

"Noah you better have a very good explanation for this," she said, the tension that's coated the room all day taking the razors from her tone.

"I do," he said quietly, easing callused fingers through Beth's hair as she finally fell asleep once more. Even as Puck retells the story, he's surprised his mom is even listening. What's even weirder is that she's got nothing insulting or demeaning to provide. As he finished, he watched his mother's face fall at the sight of the little family sitting quietly as they bunched together.

"What do you suppose we do?" she finally asked. "We have to alert Child Protective—"

"No! I'm not letting my kid go through the system. I can't. I already did it once Ma and look at where it got her." Mrs. Puckerman nodded. "Please Ma...You gotta help figure somethin' out," he pleaded softly, the usual sarcasm and macho tones wiped clean

"I...I'm not sure how much I can do..." she whispered. The woman may be a doctor but Ava Puckerman was at a loss as to how to help her son by legal means.

"We already had Rachel talk to a bunch of lawyers. Some of them are looking over her file now. I just...I need you to back me up here. Mama you're a doctor. You can't say that any of this is...healthy for...She's not even a year old," he said quietly.

"Noah, your education is..."

"I'm not gonna quit school," he said quickly. "Quinn would kill me," he said, laughing lightly as a way to ease his own tense muscles.

"Try your mother," Ava scoffed. Puck nodded then, willing to accept anything he might need to at this point. "How do you plan to provide? The little you make with your summer job isn't going to do much."

"So I find another job," he said easily. "Was planning to anyway. When I thought we were gonna..." Puck let his voice trail then choosing to steer clear of that part of the conversation. "Look, I gave up on a lot of stuff. I quit things half way through all the time. I get passable grades but nothing amazing. But this is...This is my kid. She's not even here a year and I put her through hell."

"You were trying to keep her safe and happy," his mother pointed out.

"Safe my ass," he muttered.

"Noah."

"Sorry. Mom I can't just...It's my fault she's even in this mess. It's on me that she's so confused and scared. Shelby terrified her. Won't let go of me. She's good with Quinn for a few minutes but when she can't see me all she screams is bloody murder. We're workin' up to it but it's...I can't hand her off to strangers." For an overly confident guy, Puck's confession to his mother leaves him flustered and...dare he say afraid himself, though he'd never say the exact words. He assumed she saw it all already. He watches her eyes shift to Quinn who has grown impossibly small in the older woman's presence. Ava quietly observes, a fair list of questions on her tongue.

"Has she spoken?" she asked quietly taking in the glassiness of the younger woman's eyes.

"Not since she got back from her mom's on the way over. Thunder freaked her out. A little banged up. Gave her a bath and a few band aids. They both slept for a while." It isn't until he sees the clock on the mantle that he realizes his mom's home early. Why, he isn't sure but he can't help feeling glad that she is.

"Have they eaten?" Puck shook his head. Beth hadn't eaten for a few hours and he's almost sure as anything that Quinn can't even look at food right now.

"I was about to warm a bottle for her," he said starting again for the kitchen. It isn't until now that he realizes his sister made her escape awhile ago, likely upstairs with homework or something. Ava nodded eyeing Quinn carefully.

"There's some chicken in the oven if you'd like to get her to try and eat a little something," she said softly. She'd been waiting for Quinn to stop by for quite some time. Under these circumstances, the joy has turned to something more painful. Quinn mutely shakes her head at the mention of food, her stomach beginning to roll.

"Didn't even eat breakfast," he said quietly, carefully brushing his fingers across her arm. "Just a little?" he asked biting his lip. "Please?" Closing her eyes with a quiet sigh Quinn sits at the kitchen table, eyes trained on the yard outside the window. Puck pops a bottle in the microwave waiting for it to warm before taking a seat beside her. Puck watched as his mom placed a drumstick and breast in front of her, almost certain it won't be touched.

"There you are," his mother said softly. She too knew very little if any at all was going to be to be eaten. Regardless, it was enough to know that Quinn had tried. "Pick one. Noah will have the other." Quinn's eyes still stayed on the yard, her hand kept at Puck's knee as he fed their daughter.

"Think she's in shock," he muttered.

"Looks so," Ava whispered. "Did something happen?"

"I...I think she had it out with her mom. Packed up most of if not all her stuff. It's still in the truck. Came out with a split hand. Says she chucked a bottle. I'm guessing things got kind of heated." Puck saw Quinn flinch as his mother took her hand causing Ava to pull back.

"Let her have a look, Q. She just wants to see," he whispered. This time Quinn did nothing but stiffen as her hand was taken, dead eyes shifting to her one safe face. Puck kept her gaze as his mom looked over her hand. Tracing over the incision, she concentrated closely.

"I'm going to have to dress this," she said quietly. "It's not too deep so I don't think it will scar," she said studiously. As she continued, Puck rose for only a minute to put a sleeping Beth back in her carrier, seeming to have fallen into a fitful sleep, her own dinner barely touched. With a quick kiss to her forehead, he returned his focus to Quinn whose eyes began to water as she ghosted along the cut.

"Squeeze, baby," he murmured, offering his hand which he let her squeeze the life out of. "Ma's gonna make it all better, alright?" Quinn didn't even nod in response, simply curling up in his lap at the mere idea of being touched in a place that already hurt more than she could say. "She has to," he said softly. At those words, the tears doubled, spilling over her already terrified expression. Puck brushed a knuckle lightly along her eyes kissing the side of her head as he did so. "I'll be right here," he whispered. Ava took her son's last words as enough of an approval to collect some antiseptic and gauze to dress the wound. When she was returned and prepared, she nodded to her son. "Squeeze the shit out of my hand," he prompted. Even with all the permission he gave, his hand numb in seconds, Quinn let out an Earth-shattering scream as it made contact with her tender skin, glaring knives at the woman who made the sound fall from her lips.

"I'm sorry..." she said biting her lip, crest-fallen at the terror in the young woman's eyes.

"She's done," he whispered, the promise only serving to allow Quinn to become even smaller in his arms. "I know it sucks now but it'll make it better," he said gently. Quinn shot him a dead glare fully doubting him at the moment that anything that painful could be the least bit helpful. If she weren't so torn up about it, Puck would have laughed at her expression. "Think you can try and eat somethin' for me?" he asked gently, the very thought of food making Quinn more than queasy at its second mention. "For me?" he reiterated softly. "All I'm asking you to do is try. You're probably starving." Quinn quickly shook her head, denying his assumption almost as soon as it left his mouth. The roll of her stomach was fast on its heels, betraying her denial. Puck smiled softly pulling the plate closer to them.

"Leave what she doesn't eat wrapped up for later," his mother offered as she stood to leave. Puck nodded his thanks turning his attention back to the blond in his lap. Peeling off a small bit of chicken with a fork, he brought it to her mouth, still firmly shut. There was no way she'd even be thinking of touching it on her own, if what he'd seen today was any indication.

"Open," he said softly. Quinn shook her head once more, blond locks tickling Puck's shoulder as she did. "C'mon. Just this one. We'll go as slow as you want and put the other one away for later. You want your stomach to bitch at me again?" he teased. Quinn frowned, biting her lip. "Beth's down for a bit," he reminded her. I'm all yours until this is done. Now open please." She grudgingly obliged parting them only enough to let the fork through and clamped down on the little bit in her mouth. "Gonna have to swallow it too," he said. "Ya know...The faster you finish up, the sooner we can get to bed," he pointed out, hoping that it was enough of a carrot to encourage her to at least finish half of what was on her plate. Quinn herself would give anything to curl up in bed right now. Curl up next to him...to them and forget this whole day so much as started at all. Peeling off another little bit at a time, Puck quietly brought another little bit to her mouth, which she accepted chewing on slowly. "Good," he whispered. "Let's keep going. Then we'll go back to taking a good long nap." Puck was pretty sure that at this point, they might as well sleep the entire day away but he couldn't really see them doing much else. Not after all they'd been through. The process continued for a good twenty minutes, only the breast of the two actually eaten before Quinn would have no more, deliberately clamping her jaw shut.

"No," she said meekly turning away from the plate as she did. He nodded sliding back in their chair as he collected what was left and wrapped it as Quinn sat on the counter. Kissing her forehead, he made sure to offer her quiet praise as the fridge closed.

"Can you sit tight for like...a minute while I put Beth upstairs? I'll be right back, I swear." She nodded reluctantly well aware that they both had to go up at separate times if they were going keep Beth from screaming. Knowing that going over the minute he promised her was out of the question for her, he hurried his daughter up the stairs, stripped the shirt he wore and placed it next to her as he went to collect Quinn. Padding back up the stairs a moment later he eased her between the sheets before sliding in beside her, Beth clutching to him for her own safety. "What do you say we just sleep this whole day away?" he mumbled. Quinn could only nod in agreement, shaky fingers lazily tracing shapes along his broad chest. "We got even more headaches ahead," he sighed. "First one being gettin' you home," he whispered pressing a kiss to the sleeping child's head. Massaging gently at the side of her head as she curled in on his arm, he let Quinn's leg come over and rest between his. "And when _you're _ready, we're gonna figure out what the hell you're seeing too," he promised, almost certain now that it had something to do with Judy Fabray.

**A/N: Thank you lovelies for trekking through another painful update…I think this one about killed me.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I...Wow. It just kept going and going and going. Please keep in mind my knowledge of the legal system is extremely limited.**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing.**

The rest of their day was spent in bed, Puck only leaving long enough to tend to Beth periodically. He took extra care to be quiet as he came and went. Even as he returned quickly, the fear in Quinn's eyes as she sat up curled up in fetal tore at him in ways he never imagined possible. Laying his daughter across the bed and placing a bottle she barely touched on the nightstand Puck scooted closer to her mother; glassy eyes, a lip pierced and bleeding, and trails of silent tears his welcome as he brought her in close.

"I was only gone a second," he said quietly, trembling arms wrapping around him almost immediately. "Not going anywhere, Q, I swear," he promised. Pulling away slowly Quinn could only glare at him. _You said that last time _she thought. Puck only smiled softly at the look in her eyes bringing a light kiss to her forehead. "The only reason I'd go anywhere is because of Beth," he said softly. "And even then I'm always going to come back," he added gently. His heart sank as her eyes clouded with doubt.

As much as Quinn wished to believe him, doubt was all she knew. Her father was gone. Judy, for all intents and purposes was nowhere to be found. Puck was all she had and even he had a history of loving and leaving. How could she suddenly start to trust that he could keep to his word? That's not to say that she thought him a liar. Not anymore. Being shaken to the core had brought every bit of it back. She couldn't help but think that if he wasn't physically touchable, _he _would find his opening and finish what he started. If she wasn't careful, every last one of her bones could be slowly and painfully broken while Puck had his back turned.

"Don't go," she whimpered clinging to him like the lifeline he always was for her. Pulling her into his lap, her small frame found a way to be completely tucked in against him. Puck could only shush her quietly as he kept his fingers along her matted hair. Looking at the alarm clock on his bedside table, he finally realized how late it was. The readout screamed 2am in big blue lights. Well that explained the extra layer of fear. It didn't take a scientist to know how the night would affect her. Puck was suddenly praising his laziness, Beth's bag brought up after only his first trip down to the kitchen.

"I didn't want her to wake you," he explained gently knowing now that even if Beth turned to screaming, his trips down to the kitchen were done for the rest of the night. "We won't leave anymore," he promised quietly. "Got lazy anyway. Try and get some sleep, okay? I'll be here," he offered softly, the back of his hand brushing along her eyes still struggling between awake and asleep. "Don't fight it," he whispered. "You're gonna have to be nice and rested so we can talk to Berry's lawyer," he said not even trying to hide his lack of excitement.

The lawyer part of it was fine. Even Puck was grateful for that. It was the idea that he would be grateful to Rachel Berry that irked him. She wasn't the world's worst person; just incessantly annoying. The fact that she was culturally acceptable to his mother did even less to ease the frustration. His mother would be far too pleased if he "found himself a nice Jewish girl" regardless of how much Ava had grown to love Quinn. Puck still wasn't sure if it was all that genuine but if what they'd just gone through a few hours before was any indication, she was coming around. She would have to if they were going to give Beth the life she deserved. Watching her as she slept he sighed. Bouncing her between homes was out of the question. As messed up as it was, knowing that they no longer had that problem eased him just a bit.

Puck's thoughts were interrupted as her warm even breaths blew across his neck. Carefully placing her back under the blankets he sighed collecting Beth and resting against the wall as he continued coaxing the bottle between her lips.

"C'mon," he mumbled softly. "You downed that waffle like a champ." As if he couldn't hate Shelby anymore than he already did. Now she was too afraid to even eat. He shuddered at the possibilities, could barely think about what had gone on while his back was turned without wanting to be sick. "You going to live on waffles now?" he laughed. "Not that I have a problem with that. Mama's not letting me move for a few more hours though. Finish this up and I'll let you wipe me out. Please? We got all night," he said resisting and failing the urge to yawn. Finally after ten minutes of further urging, Beth slowly took to finishing. "That's my girl," he murmured brushing a kiss along her forehead as she came to rest on Puck's shoulder.

It was a quarter to three before the baby's breaths grew even and he allowed himself to give in to his exhaustion. He guessed he'd have at least two more before they would all have to be up and ready to start the day. "Two hours? Can I get two hours before you need anything else? Otherwise I get cranky and nobody likes Daddy when he's cranky," he teased. "And I got to be on my best behavior for the lawyer people." Watching as her eyes fall open once more, her small body going rigid, Puck carefully eased a hand over her back kissing her forehead quietly. "I love you."

Xxx

Puck gasped as he met Beth's wide eyes. He had no idea how long she'd been awake but he figured (or at least hoped) that it wasn't too long. She hadn't so much as squirmed and simply lay there watching him as though his face were the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Jesus Beth," he whispered. "What are you lookin' at?" he laughed propping himself into sitting position. "Morning," he mumbled running a free hand over his tired face. "Do I got something weird on my face or do you want something?" he mumbled. "And what time is it?" Turning to look, Puck sighed. "6:30? Really?" Beth only continued to stare seeming to think that the longer she did, the more likely her dad was to start moving. "Alright, I'm either really interesting to look at or you're trying some mind game on me," me mumbled stretching as he stepped out of bed.

Feeling the shift, Quinn quickly let her eyes fall open silently watching Puck's every move. As he turned, a light smile came across his face. "Morning sleepyhead," he offered in greeting. She returned it with a light smile of her own as she mimicked his earlier actions. "I was going to hop in the shower real quick. You think you can handle watching her for ten minutes? You can wait in the bathroom," he added. She slowly nodded then wondering how well this would go over considering the struggle it had been the day before. Add her own silence and well, anything could happen. But Quinn found herself agreeing nonetheless. "Tight and close," he prompted lightly as she took her perch on the toilet seat. Beth whimpered for only a few seconds at the exchange, eased by her father's hand resting on her back.

Beth surprised them both by staying absolutely silent finding her entertainment on the ends of Quinn's hair as they waited. Quinn was another story, still on edge even after Puck fell just behind the curtain. She could feel herself growing less tense as he began quietly humming to himself as the water ran. Enough to know that he was there. Even so her gaze only shifted between the shower and the little girl in her arms, never wandering elsewhere. The allotted ten minutes passed slower than they should have but as Puck finally emerged, Quinn felt the tension in her body lessen. Following him back in, the two girls found a spot on his unmade bed and watched as he dressed.

As her eyes fell to the toned muscles of his turned back, Quinn could feel a blush creeping up her neck. At the moment she was grateful that he wasn't facing her because even if he said nothing about it, she was sure she'd be able to read the laugh in his eyes. It was nothing she hadn't seen before and yet, here she was flaming up at the sight of just his back muscles as he put on a shirt. It was a wonder she could think those things at all. But this was Puck. She knew him well enough that she was allowed to think such things as innocently as she wanted and he wouldn't press her. Turning to face her, he smiled.

"Enjoying the show?" he teased as he buttoned his dress shirt and flipped on a tie. Quinn shook her head in denial earning a slight smirk from Puck.

"I don't know...You're all pink," he chuckled fumbling with his tie. She shook her head hiding a face behind her hand at his observation, the denial only deepening her embarrassment. "Hate this thing," he muttered. Putting Beth down gently making sure she faced them as she stepped forward, Quinn patiently worked his tie with a light smile of her own. "What? I never have to wear these things," he pointed out moving his hands to give her more room. "Thanks," he said. Taking back her spot, she was more than a little surprised as Beth tentatively found a way into her lap. As she settled, the little girl eyed her curiously almost as if waiting to be rejected. Quinn only pulled her closer pressing her nose to her hair, her lack of fear (at least for the moment she was sure) and willingness brought her to a calm she often only felt with Puck. After he slipped into his only pair of dress pants, he smiled at the two before him.

"First time she's done that for longer than a minute. Impressive," he joked. Quinn offered him a slight smile; somewhat pleased with herself. Beth carefully turned her head keeping wide trained eyes on him. "Woke up to this one staring at me. I showered, I'm clean, I'm actually dressed nice for once and she won't move." Puck's stomach clenched then in realization. "I'm not gonna disappear, baby girl. Not anymore." To prove his point, Puck shuffled closer to them kissing her forehead silently. The only reply he got was the slightest whimper as she took hold of Quinn's shoulder, her eyes never leaving her father. He couldn't help a moment of confusion shared with Quinn.

"I don't...Bethy, we're not going anywhere," he whispered. "Neither are you," he said more to himself this time. "Relax," he mumbled running a hand over her tiny body suddenly gone rigid with fear. "Can't get this over with soon enough," he sighed. "I just hope it's not too big a headache. She's been through too much." Quinn nodded in muted agreement playing for a moment with her short hair. "I'm not even sure how this works. I guess we...go to them or something? But that means leaving her here...I think we'll have to...explain..."

Quinn nodded slowly just as confused about how to reverse an adoption as he was. She suddenly groaned in frustration with herself. If she had just stuck it out...If she had listened to herself they wouldn't even have this problem. If it weren't for her she wouldn't have all these added problems, period. If she had just been good...Warm tears pricked her eyes then as she eyed the man beside her, suddenly sharing her daughter's fear. One day soon Puck would realize what a mess she really was. The shock of it all was suddenly too much. As her breath picked up she had enough in her to move Beth over to him before bringing her knees up rocking herself as the fist of terror gripped her heart.

"Hey...Shh...What is it?" She only shook her head in reply; face still buried in her knees as she shook. "Look at me, Q. What is it?" he asked gently.

"I'll be good..." she said desperately. Puck silently cursed himself as he moved in closer wondering what he had said or done to bring her back to this.

"I know you will," he offered quietly.

"I know I was bad but I promise to be good. I'll do better."

Quickly removing his dress shirt and tie (they would have to rework it later because he had a feeling things were going to get ugly fast) he brought her into his lap where she promptly found a space to shrink in against him. Quickly drying her eyes he tipped her chin to look him straight on.

"You weren't bad, sweetheart," he whispered. "You're doing just fine." As if she didn't hear him, Quinn went on, seemingly oblivious to his reassurances.

"I'm sorry...Was a mistake...A big mistake," she mumbled, tears still running down her face as she spoke. He brought his lips against her sleek skin offering her the most honest answer he could. Puck still had no idea what the hell she was talking about but she'd already used them once. He wasn't even sure she was talking to him anymore. Or maybe she was and still fighting something else alongside him.

"We'll fix it," he said. Quinn shook her head frantically at his words, highly doubting he could do anything about this. If she couldn't fix her own problems, why should he have to?

"Can't fix it...My fault...I was bad." Resting his chin lightly on her head, his fingers played against her warm skin still hidden by the shirt he let her borrow. He felt her flinch at his touch and quickly pulled back eliciting a sob from her throat.

"Relax," he murmured. "I'm sorry I touched." Quinn only burrowed further into him, the absence of his gentle hands too much to bear.

"You said you wouldn't go..." she whimpered.

"I didn't go anywhere," he pointed out, his brow knit in further confusion than he already was.

"Hands..." she mumbled.

"What about them?" he asked.

"Don't go..." Puck thought for a minute trying to piece together what he was hearing. He knew better than to ask her for complete thoughts. It was enough that she was verbalizing at all.

"Use your words," he coaxed quietly. It wasn't like Puck had dealt with any of this first-hand. He only knew as much as his mom shared with her medical knowledge. For once he was glad he'd sat through one of her-at the time-boring lectures about whatever Quinn was going through. He'd forgotten the name of it or didn't care to remember it.

"Hands..."

"What about my hands?"

"Safe..." she mumbled.

"You didn't want me to move my hands?" Quinn nodded silently watching his face for any sudden expression changes. Here she was being the mess he was almost guaranteed to run from. She doubted she made any sense, her own thoughts a complete tangle in her head. Puck shrugged bringing his hand back to rest along her spine. "Better?" Again she nodded, not even sure how she could stomach let alone crave his touch when anyone else made her skin crawl.

"Safe..."

"Glad you think so," he smiled. It was almost as though his touch was her off switch. Quinn was now completely silent and unmoving except for the claw-like grip she seemed to take on him. If she could think these things 'round the clock like she seemed to, Puck was even more determined to keep them exactly where they were. "Let me know when we can move." Quinn nodded mutely soaking in his protection for another couple of minutes before allowing herself to pull back and take hold of his pillow instead. "Can't stay up here all day," he smiled. "Gotta go get some food in you." Again Quinn grimaced at the idea. "I owe the kid a waffle, Q. You can either stay here and I'll bring you something or come down and show me what you want. I might get something you hate," he said lightly. She rolled her reddened eyes, a sigh dragging through her lips. "Your choice." She nodded reluctantly carefully pulling the covers back. "Good," he said softly laying a kiss along her hair.

Padding quietly down to the kitchen, Ava greeted them at the stove. Puck could feel Quinn go stiff as soon as they entered easing her with a light squeeze of her hand. The older woman smiled softly as they entered, her face falling slightly at the cowering fear she saw in Quinn's face.

"Good morning," she said warmly. Puck offered no more than a quiet nod in response. He couldn't help wondering if her sudden openness was the result of what she'd walked in on the day before or something more. Quinn seemed to find nothing warm about it as she cowered in against him instinctively hiding her wrapped hand while squeezing Puck's tightly with the other. Ava frowned as he watched the girl keeping a respectful distance. Her mood only worsened when Beth refused to meet her eyes keeping her face buried in Puck's shoulder.

"They're not morning people," he said by way of explanation. The woman nodded pointing to a stack of homemade waffles. Despite himself Puck's mouth began to water. "Nana made us the good ones," he smiled. "Better eat 'em all up fast before they all end up in my tummy," he whispered. This only earned him a confused look from Beth and a roll of the eyes from his mom. "Go have a seat," he said gently. "I'll be right over." Quinn did as she was told looking on into the early morning as she waited.

Eyeing her son carefully she sighed. "Noah, we don't walk around naked in this house," she chastised. Puck resisted raising his brow at his mother's tone.

"I'll put it back on later," he grumbled.

"No. You know better. Give me the child and go finish getting dressed before you so much as think about sitting at the table," she said firmly.

"Ma, that's not..." he started as Ava stepped in to take Beth from him eyeing him with her familiar finality.

"She's fine. No need to worry," she said softly. Puck highly doubted that the moment Beth was taken. The look of confusion the little girl met him with only grew more severe as he backed further away.

"Give her to Quinn, please," he muttered before disappearing up the stairs. As he reached the landing a familiar wail could be heard from down below. Puck quickly threw on a wife beater and growled as he made his way back down two stairs at a time. At times like this he really wished his mom could look past formality and just let it go. Coming back into the room Puck took his daughter throwing his mom and angry look. "What'd I ask you?" he grumbled.

"She was staring off into space, Noah. I wasn't going to give her a baby to hold while she was all checked out like that," Ava pointed out. Puck didn't even bother offering his mother two words as he took Beth back from her. "See? All better," she grinned laying a light hand over her trembling form as he tried to silence her.

"She's not gonna drop her kid," he muttered letting her quiet down as he moved to sit next to Quinn. He groaned as he took in her balled up position, her body trembling as she covered her ears while mumbling to herself. "This is the kinda stuff we're trying to avoid!" he hissed.

"I know how to handle a child, Noah. I've had two of my own," she said flatly. Puck ignored her as he brushed a strand of hair from Quinn's tear-stained face.

"It's over," he whispered. She only continued to shake her head not quite believing him so soon after. "Everyone's nice and quiet," he promised carefully uncovering her ears. He saw her bite her lip, new tears pricking the corner of her eyes. "Breathe..." Finally she nodded, new breaths coming out slow almost as though she was uncertain of his promise. "That's it," he murmured brushing along her arm. "You wanna take her?" he offered. Quinn offered him a tentative node as shaky arms extended to accept her weight. "Good," he nodded. "Sit tight for just a minute. I'ma go grab us some OJ." Quinn said nothing and simply nodded.

As he went over to the fridge, Ava watched them in odd fascination. Both had fallen absolutely silent, Beth's reddened cheek resting against Quinn as they waited. Though she didn't offer a word, her fingers combed easily through her short hair. Gone was the shaking and remained only a hint of uncertainty. Though her focus was elsewhere, Quinn seemed to be completely aware of the little girl's presence.

"I don't understand...She was shaking not two moments ago."

"Magic," Puck supplied rolling his eyes.

"No need to get smart with me, Noah. I honestly thought..."

"That I had no idea what I was saying?" he laughed.

"Well...yes," she admitted. "I was only being logical."

"So was I. She's got a calming effect on Quinn. I didn't really see till earlier this morning so I didn't know if it would even work but I figured it'd be better than sticking her with someone she's never seen before. Looks like I was right," he smiled. "Now who wants a waffle?" Quinn smiled lightly at Beth's wide-eyed expression letting her ignore the knot that formed in her stomach. "Open big. And try chewing this time. Don't wanna give Nana a reason to hit me if you choke."

"Noah..." she warned laughing quietly.

"What? You would," he said. Ava just shook her head watching silently as the two of them worked. Beth took to them eagerly, the look of excitement on her face produce a laugh of his own. "If you needed anymore proof," he smirked. "Slow..."

"Half," she reminded him. "Last thing we need is the little thing hyped up on all the sugar."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Puck's phone vibrated in his pocket stopping a piece halfway to her mouth. "Hang on, kid. I gotta take this." Pulling the fork far enough away brought her lip out in a pout, her small hands eager to reach for it. Watching the exchange, his mom only shook her head. Shooing her son to the next chair she easily took over. Puck nodded gratefully as he spoke with the voice on the other end of the line. "Okay, that sounds good...Yes, we'll be there...You want us there by ten? Okay." Nodding periodically, he waited for an opening for the only question he had. "I've got a couple questions. Beth's got really bad anxi..." Again he returned to nodding as he listened. "And my...Quinn's not quite feelin' too great so she might not...Yes I understand. Thank you." As the call ended Mrs. Puckerman looked over to him.

"I can watch her while you two go off to your appointment." Puck shook his head in polite decline. "You can't take a child to a courthouse."

"It's not the courthouse, Ma. Just his office. I've already asked him and he says it's fine. We won't even be that long. We've got a strong case and he's found a loophole."

"The hospital doesn't need me until four," she provided.

"We know how well that went a few minutes ago," he muttered. "Thanks Mom but I think we got this."

"I'm not sure that's wise, Noah."

"We've got no other choice," he shrugged. "If we leave without her, she'll scream until we come back. Until she finds out we're not going to leave her, she's going to be clingy as hell." Not that Puck minded. If anything it meant he was doing his job. The only challenge was making sure Beth didn't scare herself every time they moved. "I've already explained it and he gets it. He's like...a specialist or something in these kinds of things."

"What kind of 'things'?" she sighed.

"He specializes in...domestic violence or something," he mumbled. "He gets how shaken up she is and how wrong any of it is. He spent all day yesterday trying to find a way to make it less of a hassle than it has to be. We have up to a year to change our minds anyway. This extra thing just makes it almost painless. God knows we've got enough of that going around."

"Well I'm at least coming with you," she said firmly. "You may have a child but you still need someone there to advocate for you." Puck nodded. She had a point. With Quinn unable to speak, it would be good to have someone there to do the extra explaining.

"We leave at nine."

Xxx

Sitting in the attorney's office put Puck slightly on edge. He'd only ever dressed up on one other occasion. A period of time he would much rather forget. Even if this reason was different, sitting face to face with a suited man wasn't exactly comforting especially when they remembered why they were here at all.

"Hello, my name is Harold Archer and we spoke to one of you on the phone earlier about the case of Elizabeth Puckerman Fabray. I understand you'd like to reverse an adoption?" Puck was the first to greet him with a firm handshake which the other two quietly followed. As he introduced himself, his name felt foreign in his mouth. Still, Puck stayed cordial and waited as the man explained what could be done about their situation. "Under what terms did you sign this agreement?" he began. Puck wrung his hands nervously before speaking, his eyes shifting to Beth who sat quietly in her mother's lap.

"We were both young," he began. "Quinn spent the whole time going back and forth on whether she'd actually want to keep the baby. Eventually, she settled on giving her up. We just...Well, she didn't feel we were ready to take on parenting and all the extra work."

"And you did?" he asked, his face free of judgment as he prompted the young man to continue.

"Well, I knew it would be hard. Probably the hardest thing either of us would have to do. I knew there'd be sacrifices but...I was ready to give it a shot. Told her that from the beginning."

"So you simply went along with Ms. Fabray's wishes." Puck nodded taking Quinn's hand quietly. "Did you see that as fair?"

"Well, I mean, I wasn't the one carrying a baby. There was all this extra stress on her and adding a baby to the mix was just going to make it worse."

"But you wanted to keep your daughter, yes? Despite all that you would have to give up to raise this child."

"More than anything, sir. My dad was never really there for us when I was a kid. I know what we did was...reckless and kind of wrong but...I was going to take responsibility. I was going to be there for my kid and her mom. But that's not what Quinn wanted."

"Do you feel as though you signed away your rights by force?" Puck thought for a moment meeting Quinn's eyes as he thought about how to word his response.

"She didn't force me, sir, if that's what you're getting at. I signed out of respect for Quinn and what she thought was best for our baby. Sure I was dead tired and not really paying attention to much but I understood what I was doing."

"But you still feel wronged," he said.

"Not wronged. More like sick," he said. "We gave her to someone we thought we could trust. We were wrong. We made a mistake. I'm not handing my traumatized daughter over to CPS. I've made that mistake once already and she's already terrified."

"And why weren't you paying attention, Mr. Puckerman?"

"I was stressed from losing our show choir competition and getting like no sleep that night so I was a bit foggy on the whole thing. We still had a month to figure out what we were going to do about Beth but...well that didn't work out," he muttered.

"She was born premature," he said matter of factly. Puck resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the guy. For a person who was supposed to help them figure something out, he wasn't exactly as attentive as he would have hoped.

"Yeah. I was under a lot of pressure to see if Quinn would change her mind at the last minute or something. Would have done anything I could to keep her but it wasn't my choice."

"You understand that both parents must sign to make this a legally binding contract, right?"

"Yes and I signed it. I don't remember much from that day but I do remember that."

"Mr. Puckerman from what you're telling me, it sounds like you signed her over under duress."

"Under what?"

"Duress. It means that you were essentially forced or coerced into signing over your rights. If Ms. Fabray hadn't asked you to, would you have offered up your daughter for adoption?"

"If it was up to me, of course not," he said, his lip forming a tight line.

"It was up to you," Harold pointed out. "To make such a life-changing decision, both parents must be in agreement on its outcome."

"I did what she asked me to," he said.

"But had you the time, the proper sleep, and not the added stress of other activities, you would have tried to sway her choices."

"I only did what she wanted."

"But the end result was not what _you _wanted."

"No sir."

"Mr. Puckerman, you signed under duress. Now, that essentially makes this contract incomplete. That's not to say that you've always obtained your rights as a father. It simply means that we go ahead and set this aside."

"So that means..."

"It means you have obtained full, legal rights to your child." The smile across Puck's face couldn't have spread any wider if he tried. Seeing the boy's expression, Harold brought his hand up. "I need to run a few more things by you. As a specialist in domestic violence-as is stated in the child's file-I must be sure that you have complete understanding of not only your rights but your responsibilities as a caretaker."

"I do," he said simply.

"Do you have a proper and reliable form of income?"

"Yes and my mom has agreed to help out where she can until we can get ourselves figured out." The suited man looked over at the woman in question who offered her agreement.

"Does anyone in your home take to any form of illegal substances?"

"No," he said, his answer riding on a breath as he kept his cringe as discreet as possible.

"Do you believe that anyone in the home is an immediate danger to the child in question?"

"Of course not," he said, his voice beginning to ride on the edge of frustration earning him a warning glance from his mom.

"Standard procedure," he said.

"With all due respect, Mr. Archer, we're not a danger to our kid. Especially if it's anything compared to what she just got out of. Nothing is worse than that," he said biting his lip.

"I understand your concern. We just have some of our own."

"Well you don't need to have them. I'm a good dad," he said somewhat defensively.

"I do not doubt your abilities, Mr. Puckerman." Puck nodded silently somehow not quite believing the man behind the desk. Then again, at their age, everyone had something to say.

"In cases like these we make sure to be extra cautious."

"I get that but you really don't have to be. I would never..." he trailed feeling sick at the very idea of laying a hand on Beth. He couldn't help the tone he'd fallen into as he spoke now. First Quinn (who had eventually figured out otherwise), and then Shelby who was so clearly in the wrong he couldn't even see straight. And now this guy. He understood the worry but couldn't keep from being slightly offended. He'd spent his whole life being judged and criticized and being enough a man for his daughter...enough man for Quinn was the only place where he felt he did something right for a change.

"From what you've shown me of your determination today, I highly doubt you would," he said in consolation.

"So does that mean we get our kid back now?" He cringed as Quinn kicked him discreetly. Even though she hadn't said a word, her eyes said enough, the glare in them enough indication that his attitude left a lot to be desired. "Sorry," he mumbled. Harold only offered a curt nod.

"Not so fast. I'm only building up your case. By providing your statement, you're giving us enough to show a judge, who will essentially make the final ruling."

"How long before we can do that?"

"Well, all we really need is a judge willing to review your case so that they can make the final decision. According to what I've read in the file and what you've shared with me today, the ruling should be a breeze. I'll be sure to give you a call when we find one."

"Is there any way we could speed up the process at all?" Ava asked. Howard Archer raised his brow in contemplation.

"We've been dancing this dance for a while," Puck sighed. "The sooner I know that she's home for good, the better we'll sleep. It's already enough of a challenge with the nightmares she has because of what's been done to her." He could feel his jaw tighten at the very thought of Shelby cursing her and her actions. He wanted to do much more to her but seeing as that would land him right along-side the number one problem, he fought the urge.

"I understand. I actually have a few officials in mind. I considered them as I looked all of this over earlier this morning." Puck sighed, quietly taking Beth closer to him to calm his nerves. With her hands now free, Quinn settled a hand along his leg as they waited.

"Almost done," he whispered, the wind of his whisper bringing Beth's eyes to meet his. A gentle poke of her nose produced a light giggle.

"Shh or we'll have to wait outside." As she grew quiet Beth settled in against him admiring the shapes and colors in his tie.

"Yes, thank you." Quietly hanging up, Harold nodded over to the small family in his office. "I requested a rush on your behalf. Judge Garland has a moment after his lunch hour at two. The court house is over one 12th and Main. I'll meet you there as legal support."

"So we just...tell them what we told you? Or is there another hoop we have to jump through?"

"No more hoops," he laughed. "The rest is really quite simple. You just need these statements properly authorized and she'll be yours before the ink dries."

"You hear that, Beth? You get to come home. For good," he grinned. Puck's happiness quickly turned to a grimace as she tugged at his ear. "Owwww, that's my ear, baby girl," he chuckled pulling it away gently. Beth seemed not to mind as his reaction only made her laugh. He rolled his eyes and sighed as they rose to thank Harold for his patience and going the extra mile in the favor.

Xxx

Thankfully the last step didn't take as much work as the first. After briefing and reviewing prior information (and Puck once again having to repeat his stance on the wrongful signing and proper care-all of which made him roll his eyes), the four were on their way home. As they finally pulled into the driveway, Puck could feel a weight being lifted.

"One less stress," he breathed. "Now there's just about a dozen more to worry about."

"Like finding a job," Ava provided.

"Yeah...that. But I will. I swear I will. She's home and for right now, that's all I'm gonna worry about." His mother nodded making her way back into the house, the small family following close behind. Falling back in against the couch, his tie came off in one swift move. _That _thing's a choking hazard," he mumbled popping his first couple of buttons relieved that he was finally able to breathe. Quinn smiled gently resting her head at his shoulder. "Welcome home, baby," he smiled. "Now who wants lunch?" He laughed quietly at the groan Quinn produced easing her up into standing position. "C'mon. It won't be so bad." _Right..._

**A/N: Alright well, there's that. I'm just gonna go stretch out my fingers now...You know the drill :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Oh gosh, I don't even remember the last time I worked with this. I'm so sorry, guys. Hopefully what's in here makes up for it a bit.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it.**

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><p><em>Quinn shuffled out into the living room, blearing-eyed. From where she stood on the staircase, she could smell her mom's cooking as it wafted from the kitchen. She had to wonder if what she smelled was made with the woman's own two hands or something premade, like it always seemed to be. She opted for the second most logical explanation trying not to be as disappointed as she secretly felt. Pulling her housecoat closer to her body, she quietly descended. As she made her way into the kitchen, taking her place at the table, a well-practiced smile made its way across her face.<em>

"_Good morning Mom," she said brightly. Judy turned, now aware that she wasn't alone._

"_Morning, Quinnie," she replied. Now that her eyes were well-adjusted, she realized she had been wrong. On one of her rare occasions, her mother would take meals into her own hands. She figured she might as well drink this all in. It would probably be another month before she saw her standing at the stove again. Unlike every other instance Judy looked content to be there. To say this was surprising to Quinn would be an understatement. Trying her best to suppress a yawn, she let her eyes close more tightly than they would naturally. If by the time they opened and she was presented with an overly extravagant meal prepped with all the trimmings, then this was real enough. She almost hoped that it would. There was a comfort in the familiar. No matter how disappointing it initially was. At least then she'd know she was in the right house. _

"_Smells good," she smiled. Judy grinned brightly obviously pleased with herself. She had to commend her on the effort, the extra mile, no matter what her reasons for taking it might actually be. Maybe for just a moment she could pretend they were your typical Lima family. It was a bit of a stretch and Quinn knew it. But the scene before her looked too good not to let her imagination go on a bit of a run._

"_I hope you don't mind a bit of bacon. I think I made a bit too much," she smiled. Quinn raised her brow curiously. Judy was either playing with her or genuinely unaware. Either way, she'd take it. She decided that a nod was sufficient enough an answer._

"_Can I help with anything?" she asked. Her mother turned back toward the stove before she spoke._

"_There's a selection of fresh fruit that can be sliced and served up if you don't mind," she said pleasantly. She nodded, already pulling out a knife and taking it to a quarter of fresh watermelon. "This is nice. I'm not sure I remember the last time we did something like this." __**I was nine **__she thought. The grin in Judy's voice was palpable._

"_I don't know. A while I think," she shrugged. There was no point in getting technical about it. She would just deny the timeline anyway, like they avoided just about everything else._

"_We should certainly do this more often," she decided taking out a serving plate and sliding a set of pancakes on it._

_"That would be nice," she supplied. There was nothing if very little more she could add to the topic. Her mother would forget even mentioning it by next week, making some good and valid excuse about lack of time and a busy schedule. The subject was just as easily as easily closed as it had been opened._

"_I've missed you, Quinnie," Judy admitted. Quinn froze, not even sure where this was going. She hadn't exactly gone anywhere. She'd been here. This was just one of those rare occasions where her mother was aware of the things coming out of her mouth. Or maybe she wasn't. No matter what the truth of it was to say that she was once again surprised by the woman's confession was a little bit more than obvious, though she refused to show it._

"_I've missed you too, Mom," she said tentatively. For a minute, she almost hated this version of her mom. Everything she said and did was such a put on that there was really no way around it. Her sober self was in want of so many things that she'd later forget even wanting in the first place. "What's the occasion?" she asked. The sound of her half-hearted laugh made Quinn turn around, knife still bin hand._

"_Well you see, I was a bit of a goof and Mother's Day just flew right over my head." Quinn could feel her stomach begin to twist. If there was one day of the year she'd never soon forget it was that one._

"_It's fine, Mom. We don't usually do much for it anyway," she reasoned._

"_And that's becoming more and more of a problem," she sighed. "We hardly do very much together anymore as it is. You're getting older and I'm sure the last thing you want is to be seen with your old mom," she said sadly. Quinn had to bite down on the words that begged to spill out of her mouth. If her mom was suggesting that she learn how to drink, that was out of the question._

"_We're just busy, Mom, it's fine," she said._

"_My baby's growing up," she smiled. __**Yeah…**_

"_Have to at some point, right?" Judy just nodded. As she came toward her daughter, the woman's arms came to rest around her hip. Eyeing her skeptically, Quinn leaned stiffly into her mother's touch. She frowned when she took note of her body language._

"_I know I've upset you, Quinnie. That was not my intention. I'm sorry, honey."_

"_I know. It's okay. It's over. All we can do now is move on, right?"_

"_I suppose you're right about that," she said quietly. It didn't take long for her o notice the layered meaning in the older woman's words._

"_I'm going to change, Quinnie. He's long gone and it's time I…"_

_**Got it together?**_

"_I know," she said. Judy provided her daughter one last smile and a kiss to her forehead before turning back to her pancakes. Swallowing hard, Quinn turned to her own cutting board slicing a handful of strawberries, taking one in her mouth as she worked. "These are good," she said._

"_Aren't they?" she said proudly. Again she just nodded. "They're the freshest ones the store had on hand." Quinn readily ignored her mom's little tangent, her mind turning elsewhere, as much as she wished it wouldn't. Beth's small and angelic face filled her eyes and it took everything in her not to shower the fruit she was cutting with her salty tears. She wasn't going to do this. Not today. There was no place for things like this. She was going to have a nice quiet brunch with her mom and that would be it. She would drink this in for all that it was, no matter the circumstance or motive. She'd take it in and enjoy it, fully aware that by sundown she'd already be long gone. As ready as she was for a few seconds of normalcy, there was no closing the gaping hole that settled in her heart._

_Her body seemed to betray her then as her vision blurred. She wasn't even aware of how badly until the knife's blade ran a short line along her knuckle. The sight of it quickened the flow, forcing her to use the counter to keep her balance. Judy must have heard, as she was quick to run over with a few napkins and a band aid._

"_What in the world…."_

"_I'm sorry," she whispered. Her mother met her saddened expression with rare concern. _

"_That's not what I'm talking about, dear. Cuts are cuts. Knives can be nasty little things. The tears….This was supposed to make you happy…" she said disappointedly._

"_I am. I'm really happy, Mom," she said quickly whipping at her eyes._

"_Then why don't I believe it?" she mumbled. Quinn took a breath trying to ready herself for the words that seemed to demand release from her mouth._

"_I miss her…" All at once it seemed to click, as Judy's face grew hard._

"_Oh Quinnie…You're such a pretty girl. One day…One day you'll find a man who loves you, just as much as I do. There's no need to rush any of it. It all comes with time."_

"_But it happened…."_

"_Yes and you've solved the problem. It's time you push forward with your life. There will be more to come."_

"_Beth isn't a problem," she said quietly._

"_A blip in judgment. Quite poor if I do say so myself. But you're young. You learn."_

"_She's not a blip. She's a little girl. My little girl and I miss her," she whispered through silent tears._

"_No sweetie. That's what adoption means. You love her enough to let her go to someone who can give all the things that you can't. It's commendable."_

"_Just because I did doesn't mean I forgot. It's Mother's Day…I'm a mom. He says I'll always…"_

"_Noah doesn't know what he's saying, honey. Men hardly do. Come on, the pancakes are getting cold." It was only as her mother turned her back that Quinn realized how much had made its way to the floor. Small puddles surrounded her as she used her strength not to be physically sick. She had to close her eyes to keep from staring at the puddles before her. As some of it kissed the tip of her robe, she let out a shattering scream that turned Judy's attention immutably. "What in the world are going on about now?" she sighed. "Oh my Lord. Give me the knife Quinn. You've already cut yourself once," she said gently, tenderly removing the utensil from her daughter's hold. "So disappointing….You can't even sit down with your own mother, so consumed with that which you can't change….Breaks my heart."_

"_I'm sorry," she whispered. "I made a mistake….A beautiful mistake…."_

"_Yes you did, dear. She's beautiful…Just like you."_

"_A mistake…" Judy just sighed shaking her head._

"_And to think I taught you better. But there's no changing anything now. All we can do is handle the world and our lives with what it's become. Step away from the counter, honey. You're going to be covered in blood…" Swallowing hard, she nodded stepping over the pool in front of her. She had to wait only a minute after sitting at the table for the blade that was taken from her to find its way in front of her. "These strawberries aren't quite small enough…"_

"_I'm sorry…" Those two words seemed to be the only ones left in her throat._

"_No matter, you just have to fix it," she said sliding the bowl over to her daughter. Quinn slowly nodded wasting no time to do as she was told. All it took was one before her finger was sliced once more, this time the gash deeper than the one left on her knuckle._

"_So disappointed….disappointed...disappointed."_

* * *

><p>Quinn sat bolt upright, her heart hammering in her throat. As much as she tried to rein it in, the scream that spilled from her lips rang through the room. In only an instant the bedside lamp was turned on and she was met with Puck's crazy eyes. It took him only a second to remember that Beth rested against him, as she had done without change for the last two weeks. Hearing her daughter's cry, Quinn's head spun in her direction, reaching frantically for her.<p>

"Hang on, Q, you're shaking. Give yourself a minute," he whispered bringing himself closer to her. He was only met with an immediate shake of her head, just as determined to take her. Puck sighed running his fingers through Beth's hair as he settled Quinn's hand on her stomach. Seeing the little girl visibly relax, likely from having them both there made her sigh with relief. "There….Much better. You still wanna take her?" She was just as quick to shake her head now. She'd just make everything worse. She always made everything worse. "She's good now. You're calmer….She'd like that," he said softly. As tempting as it sounded, as much as she wanted to, there was no telling what her hands would do to Beth. They were already covered in blood. Her daughter was nice and clean as per her father's patience. She wasn't going to mess that up. She'd already done her share.

"Wet," she whispered.

"Yeah, she probably needs a fresh diaper, you're right," he said sliding quietly out of bed. He didn't have to look back to know that Quinn's eyes were watching his every move eagerly. Even as she followed his leaving, she couldn't help but swell with only a shadow of pride. Even if that wasn't entirely what she meant. When she clarified or he found out, there was no telling how upset he'd be. As neutral as the dream was, there was something eerie about it, even terrifying as Judy closed in on her. The blood. Always the blood. As much as she tried to shuffle out of bed, she sat frozen, afraid to look at the floor below. She would probably be stepping in more of it if she wasn't careful and that would just make everything all the more real. Even as she let herself be grateful for it, her throat turned to sandpaper as she watched him with their daughter.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. Turning to her, he shrugged.

"I wouldn't have figured it out as quickly if you didn't point it out," he said. She knew he wasn't serious. A wet diaper wasn't rocket science. What would be though was finding a way to the laundry room on legs that refused to work. He didn't need to add her to his plate. She was the adult here.

"Big girl," she mumbled, her eyes pooling with fresh tears.

"Huh?" It didn't take him long to turn and face her seeing what sat in front of him.

"Accident….I'm sorry," she barely managed before tears could spill over. Her mother wasn't the only one disappointed in her. As if Quinn couldn't hate herself anymore than she already did. She had to. She really, really had to. No blood. She didn't want blood. The fear that sent every part of her body over the edge left her there to stir in her own…The realization pulled a sob from the pit of her stomach. Judy was right. There was no room for a child. Not like this. Hearing her distress, Puck rushed over.

"What?" She'd said all of that before. She'd repeated it for two weeks straight. No matter how often he tried to reassure her, the words and pain in her tone never changed.

"All over…Blood….Was bad…Not good," she whimpered clinging to his sleeve.

"What's all over?" he mumbled pulling matted hair behind her ear.

"Mess…He's gonna be mad….Please don't be mad. Was an accident…I'll do better. Promise. Don't be mad…" Puck bit his lip as he put two and two together surrounding Beth before turning his attention to her mother.

"Shh, we got this," he said softly, wondering for the hundredth time in days just what could put her in such a frazzled place in her head. "Can you stand for me?" That request alone shrunk her back further. Didn't he know the floor was covered in blood? Why would she want to step in it? "Alright, come here," he sighed letting her arms wrap tightly around his neck. "Sit here for a minute and try to relax. I'm going to go get the—"

"Baby…." Puck nodded brushing his lips along her forehead. Even as he left, Quinn tried everything she could to melt the ice between her bones. When nothing seemed to happen, no matter how often and how harshly she tried to free her muscles, the tears came faster. Her mom had never been so right. She couldn't do anything for herself. When he returned, she watched him sink to his knees after putting the carrier at the door so that Beth could see them both.

"Want help?" Quinn could only nod as the tears spilled over her cheeks. As he slipped the socks off her feet, he saw them go stiff as she attempted to bring them closer to her body. "Just a minute," he said helping her stand. Even as she stood, leaning all of her weight onto him, there was no telling how much smaller she would allow herself to become. As he eased his sweats over her hips, he saw her lip begin to tremble.

"No," she whined burying her face further in his shoulder.

"They just have to come down. I won't touch." It was at times like these that Puck was more than grateful for his mother's profession. He'd learned to practice patience with his sister but this demanded a completely different frame of mind.

"No," she choked, her nails clawing at him desperately. Every time _he _touched anywhere it hurt like nothing else. Consciously she knew that Puck would never….At the same time, he had no idea where hands had been and she wasn't going to scream bloody murder for him. She'd already done it once, probably making him feel like the worst person ever. He wasn't anything like that. If there was one person who never made her feel like less than she was, it was Puck. She hadn't said a word to him and he still behaved as if he understood everything she wanted to say and equally never said at all. He let them slide gently down her thighs before taking the band of his boxers and easing them down her legs. Once his shirt came off, Quinn found her own arms wrapping tightly around her.

"Do you have to go?" he asked carefully. Might as well get that out of the way. _Not anymore_ she thought, remembering what she left in the room, the thought coloring her cheeks a harsh red.

"No," she mumbled, a light shiver traveling her spine.

"Your legs working now?" he mumbled. That much she wasn't sure of but she found herself nodding anyway. Even if she had to stagger her way over. Puck's arm wrapped around her waist as he helped her step inside. "Shower?" Again she nodded. Quinn wasn't sure how the standing part of it would work out but it was better than sitting in a pool of more blood. It's going to start cold," he warned. _Better than too hot_. Just before he let the curtain fall closed, her hand wrapped tightly around his wrist.

"Don't go," she whispered meekly. The last thing she needed was to be left alone while all her own crimson circled the drain. He nodded pulling Beth's carrier closer toward him, the little girl sound asleep. Despite herself, Quinn gave Beth a small and shaky smile. _Just like her father_. When nothing scared her, the little girl could sleep for days if they let her.

As the water cascaded down her body, she had to keep her eyes closed to keep her head straight. Knowing where her memory tended to wander, she would likely see things that would just make the whole thing worse. Even as she tried to still her shaking legs, the water hitting her skin spilled quiet cries from her mouth. She hated how petty this whole situation made her. Puck didn't need to put up with two of them; small incapable children who couldn't do a single thing on their own. Beth had every excuse in the world. Quinn was just stupid. Stupid to let something like this get to her.

It wasn't like he hit her deliberately. She'd always earned them. He'd hide them well and keep them small so at least she wasn't reminded. But the truth of the matter was that every inch of her was coated in ghost and as hard as she tried, there would be no getting rid of them. With Puck waiting for her outside, patient as he'd always been with her, no matter how much bitch she served him, he wouldn't come. He'd never think to cross Puck, no matter how much younger he was. Touching him in any way would just disgust her father. For that shallow thought alone, for the moment, she was more than grateful.

"He always comes," she whimpered, month old gashes along her calves dancing their evil. Puck frowned slipping his hand behind the curtain.

"He won't come," he whispered squeezing the hand she took, which he couldn't help but notice was rather immediate. Despite how conflicted she was about his words, she nodded. If she had to believe anyone, it might as well have been him. Even if she really didn't.

"He'll see….He's gonna yell….Things break…"

"I'll take care of it before he sees," he said. He knew by that afternoon out in the rain that most of this was just playing along. The only way to go was to follow her frame of mind until she was done. "He won't touch you, Quinn, I swear."

"He does it…a lot." Puck only had to wait a beat before she continued. "Bad words….Bad words for a bad girl."

"You're not bad.

"He always smells funny. Like fire. Sometimes he smells like old grapes. And his hands…They're big….Really big." Puck could feel his own fire building as he tried to keep from throwing up in his mouth. If she said what she said next the way she was going to say it… "He's hard…His hands…They're hard." He let out a visible sigh as she trailed to something minutely safer. "They're all over….'Cause Quinnie's bad….Quinnie made lots of mistakes. Quinnie made a big one…Had a baby. Those aren't allowed. Not yet…Not like how I did."

"I know," he mumbled. For only a moment, he scolded himself for what he'd done to her but was quick shut that part of himself down to focus on what was saying.

"Told him to go. That he shouldn't be there. He shouldn't have to watch." Puck knew he had to tie the pronouns to get her from one thought to the next. He still hadn't properly thanked his friend for the saving he'd done. "While he was in the bathroom, Daddy made me take everything and go. His hands….everywhere. Lots of yelling too….I was a mistake. Val's good. Val doesn't make messes. She's a big girl. Allowed to have babies 'cause she's good." Puck found himself struggling with the question he wanted so badly to ask. Had the bastard hurt his daughter? How much did he do to compromise her fragile life?

"The wall…It hurt. He's strong. He smelled like old grapes again. He tried to…the baby." By now he's been listening to her through the shower long enough to make out every word, the last few sending him into a frenzy. "But he didn't. I hugged my belly….She was safe. Promise she was safe." Puck found he could swallow again, that little confession enough to keep his head from turning nightmarish thoughts. "Daddy didn't take her. He wanted to but he didn't." Puck felt her let go of his hand now, the shadow behind the curtain sinking to the floor. Quietly he came up behind her, the mist of the shower head soaking him quickly. "I did good….Made a mistake but I did good," she mumbled as he shuffled her back against him.

"You did good, sweetheart. So good," he whispered pressing a kiss to her wet hair. It took everything in him to keep the knot in his throat from exploding. _When it's not one, it might as well be both_ he thought, quiet tears toying at the edge of his eyes. The water continued running as Quinn finally dissolved in his arms, her entire body quaking as she clung to Puck for dear life. "Shh," he murmured holding her to him as tightly as she could without hurting her.

"I like when you touch…Makes him go away. They don't hurt. They make it better," she mumbled. As much as he fought with himself on the topic, the question came tumbling out as quietly as he would allow it. It was likely a no but the way she described all of it, any of it, made him wonder and he had to be sure.

"Did he ever touch what I touched?" Quinn had to stop and think for a minute. Puck had touched a lot of things, everything really. But the way he asked it, he sounded so scared. The Puck she knew was hardly afraid of anything. And then it hit her, the idea making her heave as she tried not to gag. In no realm of possibility was that even an option.

"With Mama," she whispered. Alright well, if that was all the answer he was going to get, he'd have to be okay with it. "They do what we did," she said carefully. "Just you get to touch there. Daddy's not allowed there. It's wrong." Puck himself could barely nod, trying not to feel a sense of pride at her confirmation. "Was an accident….I didn't mean to."

"I know," he said softly, not entirely sure how much of an umbrella term that was. She'd confessed to a lot of things today already, as well as over the last few days.

"He can't come. Please don't let him come…."

"He won't, I promise," he mumbled pressing a kiss to her forehead. The simple brush along her skin seemed to be her unraveling as one touch brought the pain back full force as it tumbled from her lips. All Puck could do was hold her as the shower soaked them both clear through.

When her breathing finally evened out, his fingers found and traced lightly along the lining of her stomach. As he made his rounds, he had to wonder just where Russell thought to execute his twisted plan. She flinched for only a moment as he circled, her muscles tightening as he came to rest just below.

"That….He touched that. He touched it lots."

"Can I make it better?" Quinn nodded slowly, not entirely sure how he planned to do that but trusting him enough to know that it probably would. A hand rested at her stomach as his lips lightly grazed her underbelly with his lips making her shiver. He smiled broadly as her skin surfaced with gooseflesh.

"He left. I don't know when he's coming back but he left."

"Good. If he comes back, he won't be there for long," he promised. He felt Quinn go stiff again, immediately regretting his choice of words. "On your skin," he clarified.

"Oh…Good. Don't go. I know I did some bad but I'll do better. I won't have accidents anymore…Or try…There's just so much blood. Everywhere."

"Well, good news is, you won't find any here," he said.

"It's in the bed…On the floor."

"We'll fix it," he said. At his words, watery eyes met his gaze, fueled with hope that he was right. He had to be. He somehow always was. Puck was the safest of places she'd ever known. As long as she stayed here, she could almost believe that nothing would touch her.

"Water's getting cold," he pointed out reaching up and over to turn it off. The silence that fell when the water stopped made her all too aware of where she was. Who held her was too much a comfort to be an issue. He'd seen her like this countless times before. Alright well, at least three and done absolutely nothing to her in the last two. As much as she wished to thank him for his tolerance, the words just wouldn't come. It was almost as though the running water provided a necessary barrier between her reality and anything that stood outside of it, even if that one thing was Puck.

"Back to bed?" Quinn just nodded ice cold now. Watching her shiver, he slid the curtain back and wrapped the towel tightly around her. "Better?" he mumbled. Again she shook her head yes as his lips found her shoulder. Stepping out first, he was relieved to see that Beth was still out. "Apocalypse couldn't wake that kid," he muttered. "Can you stand?" Quinn slowly nodded, inching out of the shower. When she hit dry land, she could feel her legs turn to jelly. She'd been sitting too long. Thankfully he caught her as she fell forward. "Good?" His only reply was a set of small arms wrapping around him as she inched forward. After a moment, she released him, finally able to hold her own. The moment she did, there was emptiness that consumed her and she couldn't help but make a beeline for the room.

"There's blood." Apparently, that's what they were calling it now. Puck nodded easily peeling the soiled sheets off the bed. As she watched him work, guilt and embarrassment consumed her once more. Puck was kind enough a person not to speak about it but that almost made it worse. "I'm sorry…"

"It's an easy fix. These need to be thrown in anyway, mo matter what happened." Quinn could feel an obvious catch in her throat at how easily he took to her mistakes. He wasn't angry, even when he had all the right to be. Best of all, no matter what she did, his hands were never hard. As fresh sheets came across the bed, she approached them carefully, making sure that it was free of any blood that could have carried over. "It's gone," he said. Quinn returned with a smile of thanks. When he presented her with a set of his own clothes, fresh from the drier, she barely cared as the towel pooled at her feet. "You doin' it?" She answered by way of taking the clothes quickly from his hands. She had to work fast if they were going to stay warm. "You can sit, it's okay. Don't want your legs giving out." When she was finally fully dressed she scampered into the bed, quick to pull the blanket around her. It always seemed to smell like him and that was a comfort all its own.

When he didn't follow her enthusiasm, she frowned, all the question in her eyes. "We're coming," he promised, sliding Beth between them before taking his own space.

"Safe…."

"Yeah, you're safe," he confirmed, a quiet kiss brought to her temple. Carefully picking up her daughter, she placed her on her father's chest and smiled.

"Safe," she mumbled as she rested her head on his shoulder, shaping his other arm around her.

"Yeah, I can do both," he said.

"Both," she mumbled.

"You did so good, sweet girl. So good." Puck knew he owed his daughter's life to her mother but tonight gave him a dozen new reasons to do so. He still had no idea what the true implication of her mantra was but he'd discovered things that were just as valuable, just as important. He wondered if the running water had anything to do with it and just how much of it they would need to free of her such a burden. If he thought her brave before, this just made her a genuine hero in his eyes. She just smiled tiredly, curling herself up to him as close as she possibly could before finally letting her eyes close. As her breathing even out, Puck watched for a moment in absolute silence trailing light kisses along her jaw before letting his eyes close, allowing them to flow with tears that would never see the light of day, so long as he could help it. How she was still standing he would never really know. "Mama's made of steel," he whispered watching Beth's eyes grow heavy as she joined her mother in sleep.

If Puck felt responsible then, the duty to be sure that nothing so much as breathed their names had just inflated ten times over.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I personally love how this one turned out. Slowly but surely she's coming to At least in getting her story told. Thoughts?**


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